


A Mutually Beneficial Arrangement

by Aria_Lerendeair



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alec makes a deal to save his sister, Alec saves the day, Asmodeus does not appear in this fic, BAMF Alec Lightwood, BAMF Isabelle Lightwood, BAMF Magnus Bane, Bad Parent Maryse Lightwood, Biting, Bodyguard Alec Lightwood, Bodyguard Romance, Demon Deals, Domestic Boyfriends, Domestic Hell AU, Frottage, Getting Together, Immortal Husbands, Inexperienced Alec Lightwood, Love Confessions, M/M, Magnus is lonely, Making Out, Marking, Prince of Hell Magnus Bane, Protective Alec Lightwood, Slow Burn (kinda), Some Nephilim have wings, This is a domestic prince of hell AU, Wingfic, handjobs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:40:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22452802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria_Lerendeair/pseuds/Aria_Lerendeair
Summary: When a Nephilim descends into Edom, alone, Magnus orders that the angel be brought to him.  After all, the Nephilim never attacked without a plan and he had other problems to worry about it.But when the angel informs him that he's there to fulfill the terms of a deal, well.  Magnus might just have to find a way to twist things to his advantage.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 252
Kudos: 847





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LaMalefix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaMalefix/gifts).



> So this fic is the most belated birthday present ever for Lamalefix who wanted someone do do a story for her Prince of Hell Magnus art. After I wrote it...and it ended up being 38,000 words or so, she did a second piece of art, this one that is damn near directly out of the story. 
> 
> You can find the original art for the AU by [Lamalefix](https://lamalefix.tumblr.com/)  
> and you can find the sourced Art on tumblr [HERE](https://lamalefix.tumblr.com/post/184697508124/im-not-that-fond-of-the-idea-of-a-darkmagnus?is_related_post=1)!
> 
> And this has the art for the AU over [HERE](https://lamalefix.tumblr.com/post/189154496924/tap-on-it-for-better-quality-well-i-decided-to)!
> 
> Art is also in the fic with full permission from the author! <3 IT'S SO GOOD EVERYONE GO CHECK IT OUT AND LOVE IT.

Magnus reclined on his throne, adjusting the crown brittle of thorns that he'd picked up off of his father's decapitated head and considered the two demons in front of him. They were both terrified. Magnus smirked at them, watching them quake as they continued, voices trembling, to give their report. They were harmless, of course, but it would never do for them to know that he knew that. He wanted them anxious, alert, eager to please. He dismissed them with a wave of his fingers as soon as they were done, pleased to see them leave his throne room. Finally alone, he leaned back into the chair and tossed the crown irreverently onto the nearby table. He had no real interest in wearing it, but the subjects did enjoy their grand gestures in Edom. 

  
The claxon call of horns sounded and Magnus sat up, immediately striding towards the window. A bright flash of light pierced through the sky, and Magnus raised both his eyebrows as he noted the glimpse of wings. He frowned as the creature came closer— it wasn't a type of demon he recognized. He could have sworn that he knew the look of every Edomite under his command. 

  
In another flare of light, a patrolling wraith that had gone up to investigate the intruder was sliced cleanly in half . The black wings finally unfurled properly, making his breath catch as he understood the creature in the sky, now quickly approaching the tower. It wasn't a demon. 

  
It was a _Nephilim_. 

  
What's more, and all the more fascinating, it was a Nephilim alone. Magnus tilted his head and watched him dive for the ground, ducking away from the demons that were starting to swarm. Whenever the Nephilim deigned to step foot into the sacred grounds of Edom, it was in force, until they were beaten back, of course. The very air here was toxic to them and killed them in a matter of hours without special protections. But this one was alone— vulnerable— too easy a target.

  
What was a lone Nephilim doing flying through the skies of Edom? Magnus settled back in his throne and considered it. He closed his eyes and reached out with his power, commanding the demons that were approaching the Nephilim to stand down. The poor creature was exhausted, and wounded, he could see that now. He hummed and gave the order to have it brought to the throne room, where he could give Magnus the proper greeting he deserved.. 

  
The surprise in the demons nearest to the Nephilim was dealt with ruthlessly, a swift end, their bodies crumbling into pools of Ichor and Magnus felt more take their place. They were putting up a fight against his orders, and he had little patience for such insubordination. There were foreign threats to deal with— he didn’t want to expend too much energy on this. He hummed, standing up from his throne, and walked towards the nearby bookshelf. He was pulling handfuls of tomes off the towering shelves, flipping through their worn, fragile pages until he found what he was looking for. 

  
It required a gem of substantial power and rarity, but he had just the one in mind. With a flick of his fingers, the ruby encased in the silver necklace should do well for what he needed. Magnus finished enchanting it when he heard the demons approaching, preceded by the sound of a scuffle. He quickly flicked out tendrils of his power, returning his crown to his head. Despite his exhaustion and injury acquired during descent, the Nephilim was still trying to fight back, to escape his capture— and was making a valiant effort 

  
Magnus had to admire his tenacity, even as he was dragged into the room. The Nephilim clearly had some energy left, his wings were glamoured and Magnus sat back in his throne, waiting for the creature to make its move. He was biding his time, pretending to be weaker than he actually was. Magnus hummed and snapped a wine glass of his favorite Bordeaux into his free hand, the other toying with the top of his scepter. 

  
"Bring him here," He ordered, gesturing to the ground in front of him. 

  
Both the demons, vaguely humanoid but for their hunched backs the jaws that hung to the floor, were happy to drag the Nephilim forward, and Magnus watched as the boy was thrown at his feet. He raised his eyebrows at them and waited for them to step back, remembering their place. He shifted, lifting the bottom of the scepter and placing it under the chin of the boy, tilting his head up, forcing the Nephilim to raise his face. 

  
Furious hazel eyes pinned him in place and Magnus merely looked back at him, studying him curiously. He'd done nothing to earn such obvious fury from the boy. "Well, well, well, if it isn't one of the angel’s own. You trespassed into the wrong realm, my little angel." 

  
"Go to hell," the Nephilim spat. 

  
Magnus laughed, leaning in closer to the Nephilim, watching his eyes widen. "Haven't you heard? We're already there." 

  
"Let me go." He tried to struggle, but Magnus wasn’t about to appear weak in front of his subjects. Ropes of burnt crimson magic wrapped around the half-angel’s torso and arms, holding him in place. 

  
"Now, why would I do that?" Magnus asked, staring down at him "Especially since I am unsure of your motives. Don’t you think I know what you’ll do the second I do try to let you go? You'll attempt to kill me with that blade you think you have hidden in your boot." 

  
The hazel eyes widened, this time in fear and Magnus smiled benevolently down at him. There was nothing he didn't know and nothing he couldn't see in his father's realm. He looked up at the demons and flicked his painted fingertips, red magic gathering around the end of each finger. "Leave us. I'm going to have a  _ private _ chat with the lovely creature you've brought me." The demons reluctantly shuffled backwards before turning to the door. They seemed altogether too disappointed, but there were limits he must impose on them. 

  
Once the demons were gone, Magnus relaxed again and removed his crown, tossing it onto the side table. "Do you want something to drink?" Magnus snapped his fingers, releasing the ropes from around the nephilim's.

  
The Nephilim blinked and glared at him. "What?" 

  
Magnus raised an eyebrow and tapped a table, unglamouring it, exposing alcohol and a variety of other drinks. "A drink? Water? I assume the angels at least allow you that." 

  
The Nephilim only glared at him and Magnus rolled his eyes, taking a chilled glass bottle of water, bringing it back over to the creature, putting it down in front of him. 

  
"If you think I'm going to trust that— " He backed away, defensive and wary.

  
"It's sealed," Magnus said, pointing to it. "Look at it," he added, waiting for him to do exactly as ordered. It took a minute, precious few seconds, but then he was guzzling down the water, exactly as he'd thought. “Be thankful— it’s Fiji. Do you know how expensive that water is?” 

  
"Now," Magnus said, settling back into his throne, further studying the creature in front of him. "Care to tell me why you stepped into Edom without any backup, little angel?" 

  
"Don't call me that." 

  
"Well," Magnus drawled. "It's either that, or your name. I’ll even be gracious enough to go first. My name is Magnus Bane." 

  
The Nephilim hesitated. "Names have power. I'll tell you my first name," he offered. 

  
Magnus sat up, his eyes intent. The precise way the Nephilim answered that question told him that he was not unfamiliar with the downworld. "You've spoken with Seelies, haven't you? Regularly, even, if you were aware of precisely how you needed to say that." 

  
The Nephilim said nothing, scowling. "Do you want me to tell you my name or not?" 

  
Magnus gave him a wave, gesturing for him to do exactly that. 

  
"Alec," he said. "Alexander," he added a moment later, cutting off his last name out of habit. 

  
"Well, Alexander," Magnus said, continuing to study him over the edge of his wine glass. He tilted the glass to the side, letting the deep red liquid cling to the edges of the glass, peering at  _ Alexander _ . "I have to admit that you have intrigued me." 

  
Alec scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Stop with the games. Take me to Asmodeus." 

  
Magnus' eyes flashed and he leaned in, intrigued again. "Asmodeus? Do tell me what it is that you want with my father? A deal perhaps?" he teased. The Nephilim, Alec, didn't flinch at the mention of his association. Stranger and stranger. 

  
Alec straightened his shoulders. "I have been sent to pay a debt," he stated, his voice firm. 

  
Magnus tilted his head and reached out with his magic to touch Alec, feeling for any deal hanging over his shoulders. But there was nothing, no hint of his father's magic, or the magic of the realm to the little angel. Nothing binding or tied into his soul. "Tell me the truth," he ordered, narrowing his eyes. "Whose debt have you been sent to pay?" 

  
Alec shifted in place and scowled. “It is simply a debt that must be paid.” 

  
“Then why are  _ you _ here, little angel?” Magnus purred, studying him. “Do you think me incompetant? If it was your debt you came to pay, rest assured I would be able to feel and sense it. ” Magnus huffed, taking a deep sip of his wine. “However, you have none. Which means you are paying the debt of another.” 

  
Alec shook his head. “No point in telling you. It’s your father who holds the deal. I need to speak with him.” 

  
Magnus hummed and considered the Nephilim in front of him. Clearly, he had not heard the latest news, which of course wasn’t surprising. Hell gossip very rarely made it topside. For now, it would be far more prudent to see just how much this Alexander knew. 

  
" _ Au contraire _ , my dear Alexander," Magnus drawled, watching the way the Nephilim flinched away from him. Still too jumpy— Magnus would fix that soon enough. "See, while my Father is off galavanting his way through another of Hell's realms, he's left me in charge, and that includes the payment of his debts." 

  
Magnus let himself eye Alec in a very obvious way and didn't miss how the Nephilim's shoulders hunched in on themselves. "So, if you want to be left to the tender mercies of Edom, I can throw you out my door and you'll be dead in a matter of hours— " he ignored the vicious look from the other man and continued. "Or you can tell me whose deal you are sent here to pay and we can talk." 

  
Alec clenched his hands into fists. "I would last more than a few hours." 

  
"No, you wouldn't," Magnus said, his voice softening. "The very air here is poisoning you. Why do you think that every time your kind invades  _ hell-bent _ on destruction, that they fail?" 

  
Alec blinked and frowned, staring at Magnus. "What?" 

  
Magnus raised an eyebrow. "Which part are you questioning? The poisoned air? Your invasions? Your intent to destroy us? My awful pun pun?" 

  
Alec opened his mouth and then snapped it shut, glowering at the warlock. "Maryse Lightwood," he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. That had been surprisingly easier than it should have been. Which meant there was more at play. For all the initial fight Alexander had put up, he had given in after mere minutes.

  
Magnus hummed and closed his eyes, reaching out with his powers for the active deals that were in place in the realm until he found the one Alec had submitted himself for payment for. At the terms, his eyes flashed open and he snarled, lifting himself out of his seat, breathing hard as he walked towards the window, fighting for control. 

  
His father had been a monster in more than one way, and deals like this were no exception. Magnus breathed out hard and forced himself to focus on the exact terms. "What do you know of the deal?" he demanded, not looking back at the Nephilim. If he'd known the true nature, he never would have come. 

  
Alec straightened his spine and stared at the warlock warily, his outburst making him move so his back was against a wall. "You can see it, why do you need me to tell you?" 

  
Magnus forced himself to take another deep breath, the dust of Edom tickling his senses, reminding him that he had a Nephilim slowly dying behind him, a Nephilim who had submitted himself for a horrifying bargain. "I need to know if you knew what you'd agreed to do— what you agreed to  _ be _ — by coming here." 

  
"Yes," Alec said, keeping his voice firm. 

  
Magnus let his eyes slip shut, horror curling deeper into his stomach. "All of it?" 

  
Alec cleared his throat. "All of it," he said. "I know I can't fulfill… a certain aspect of it, of course. But I am willing to, to renegotiate the terms as required to fulfill them." 

  
"Yes," Magnus said with a harsh laugh. "You can hardly bear my father all the warlock children he could ever want." Magic crackled around his fingertips, responding unhinged to his rioting emotions. He hadn't taken enough time destroying his father, and finding deals like this only reminded him that he had done the right thing. Asmodeus deserved far more painful a death than he’d got. 

  
"Are you… " Alec hesitated, his eyes falling to the floor. “Are you going to—” 

  
Magnus' eyes snapped to the Nephilim and he saw the fear there and he forced himself to take another deep breath, and then another, forcing his magic back under his control. "I am not my father," he stated, his voice firm. "I never have been, and I never will be, much to his chagrin." 

  
Alec tilted his head and studied Magnus. "Meaning what?" 

  
Magnus exhaled and snapped the contract into his fingers, the words on the page making his magic gather around his shoulders and flicker again. "I abhor deals of this nature. A rich business man, wanting more power and more wealth, where we take advantage of his greed? Give me a thousand, a million of those over a deal like hers." 

  
"What?" Alec said, blinking in surprise. "You..." 

  
"This might come as somewhat of a surprise," Magnus muttered. "But I am a warlock. That means I'm half-human, Alexander. I am my father's son, but I am not a monster." 

  
Alec stared at the contract in Magnus' hand and then back to the warlock. "Which means what, exactly?" 

  
Magnus looked at the details of the contract and saw that his father had left it open for renegotiation, thankfully. He turned to Alexander and held it out to him. "I will destroy this, and consider the deal fulfilled, on one condition." 

  
"Name it," Alec said immediately, taking the contract, his eyes racing over it, twisting at the familiar words. He'd seen them for the first time only a day ago, but that didn't make them any easier to read. 

  
"You and I make a deal of our own," Magnus said, crossing his arms over his chest. "We're going to renegotiate that deal," he added, gesturing to the contract Alec was holding. "But it may as well be a new deal for all that I am going to change it." 

  
Alec scoffed. "You can't just consider it fulfilled?" 

  
Magnus' eyes flashed angrily at the pushback. "Would you like me to fulfill the original deal instead? I could hold you to the letter of this contract, little angel, tie you up as my devilishly handsome sex slave for the remainder of your pitiful mortal life, parade you in front of every Edomite in my realm. Is that what you want?" 

  
Alec recoiled, shaking his head. "No, no, of course it isn't." 

  
"Then take my offer of another deal," Magnus ordered him. 

  
"Not until I know the terms of the deal," Alec shot back. 

  
Magnus smirked. There was the Nephilim who had negotiated with Seelies. "You don't have to agree to any terms as yet, simply agree to a renegotiation." 

  
Alec narrowed his eyes. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" 

  
Magnus tilted his head, his eyes flicking to gold slits. He was surprised the little angel didn't flinch back, only continued to meet his eyes easily. "With the terms of the deal firmly in my favor if they remained as, is, I think my willingness to renegotiate is reason enough." 

  
Alec chewed on his lip, debating that before he took a deep breath. "No sex slaves," he muttered. 

  
Magnus snorted. "Trust me when I say I do not have difficulty finding a willing partner. I hardly need a slave." 

  
"All right," Alec said, taking a deep breath. "I consent to a renegotiation of the terms of the contract." 

  
Magnus waved his hand, a bejeweled dagger floating in front of Alexander as he adjusted the terms of the contract, the words rearranging themselves with nothing more than a thought from him. "Sign in blood, as is required, Alexander." 

  
Alec took a deep breath and reached out for the dagger, pricking his thumb before he pressed it to the bottom of the much shorter and now almost-blank contract. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The contract negotiation begins. Also have some lore!
> 
> This chapter was beta'd by the most amazing LaCroixWitch - thank you SO much and if you haven't checked out her works, you need to go do that asap!!

  
Magnus snapped and the sound echoed in the room, a concussion of magic flaring out of him for the briefest of seconds before it was gone again. "There. It's done. Your mother and sister are free of the contract, and now it remains to you and I." 

  
Alec exhaled, his whole body sagging in relief as he clenched his fingers a bit tighter around the paper in his palm. "And he can't come after them? Either of them?" 

  
Magnus shook his head. "They are as safe as any human would be. He cannot get to them again unless he is summoned." 

  
Alec knew he should still be on guard, but the relief was enough to have him feeling dizzy. He sank into the chair that was against the library wall, pressing his face into his hands. "Thank the Angel," he breathed. 

  
Magnus tilted his head and studied the Nephilim, and the clear relief in his posture at the knowledge that the two women were now safe. "You sacrifice yourself so easily for them." 

  
Alec tensed and glared at the warlock. "Hopefully I'm not going to be sacrificing myself in a literal sense." 

  
"Nah," Magnus said with a shrug. "You're far too pretty for that. I only meant..." he hummed. "You arrived here, two days before the contract fulfill date." 

  
"I only found out about it yesterday," Alec said, glaring at the warlock. "I came the second I knew." 

  
"You must care about Maryse Lightwood's daughter a very great deal," Magnus drawled, studying the shadowhunter. "Is she such a great love to you?" 

  
Alec snarled. "She's my sister!" 

  
Magnus blinked in surprise and stared at the Nephilim and sank back onto his throne. "Now that is an interesting fact indeed, little angel." 

  
Alec rolled his eyes. "Stop calling me that." 

  
“Why would I do that when watching you squirm is just  _ so  _ much fun.” Magnus hummed and ignored the demand, summoning back the wine glass to his hand, taking a sip of it, studying the boy in front of him. Alexander Lightwood— now Magnus had the full name, power and all. From one of the most prestigious lines of the Nephilim, dating back to the very creation of the Nephilim themselves, so easily ready to throw his life away on behalf of his sister. Strange. Stranger still that he thought the Nephilim would not come after him. But for today, that was not a mystery for him to solve. 

  
"Can we renegotiate the terms of the contract," Alec demanded, crossing his arms over his chest. "I want to know what you're going to demand of me." 

  
"Other than sex slavery?" Magnus said with a grin, raising his eyebrows. From the flush on Alec's face, he could tell that that was what had been on his mind. "First, something simple." He pulled the ruby out of his pocket and held the necklace out. "You'll need this." 

  
Alec scowled. "What is it?" 

  
"It, my dear," Magnus said, pulling a quill out of thin air as he laid the contract out on the table appearing in front of him. "Is what is going to keep you alive while you reside in Edom. Unless of course, you want to die like the rest of your kind when they step foot here." 

  
"I'm not wearing that," Alec protested. "I feel fine." 

  
"Do you?" Magnus pressed, raising both of his eyebrows. "You haven't noticed you can't take a deep breath without pain? Or that your vision is starting to go black around the edges?" 

  
Alec glared at him. "How did you know that?" 

  
"You're suffocating slowly," Magnus repeated, giving the necklace a shake. "You're going to continue to do so until you pass out, then die, unless you put this on. If it’s not your style, I suggest you deal with it or ask me nicely, very nicely, to fashion it into something else for you.” He winked, just to watch Alec squirm. 

  
Alec stood and strode over to where Magnus was, snatching the necklace from him. "How do I know that this isn't going to hurt me? Or, or make me agree to whatever you say and do?" 

  
Magnus huffed and stared at the Nephilim. "I have a vested interest in keeping you alive, and any deal made under influence of any magic, including my own, is null and void the second you are under your faculties once again," he rattled off. "Which you clearly didn't know since you are asking me that asinine question." 

  
Alec slipped the necklace on with a glare and immediately tucked it under his shirt, surprised when breathing was suddenly easier. He hadn't realized how difficult it had started to become and he took a large, deep breath, before sighing in relief. 

  
"Better?" Magnus asked, sarcasm tinging his voice. 

  
Alec nodded, narrowing his eyes at him. "Why did you give me that?" 

  
"Again, I don't particularly want you dead. You're of no use to me dead," Magnus said, tapping the edge of the feather against his jaw. "Why is it so hard for you to believe someone would want to keep you  _ alive… ”  _ Magnus muttered to himself. It was strange how doomed the Nephilim thought he was— so prepared to suffer. “Now, shall we make a deal?" 

  
Alec stepped to the other side of the table, looking down at the contract. "What do you want me to offer? I already know what your side of things is." 

  
Magnus hummed, scribbling down in blood red ink. "Yes, my payment has already been given to you, a negation of the deal involving your mother and your sister. Now, what you could give me..." he let his eyes trail obviously down the Nephilim's body and watched as Alec tensed. 

  
"Not that," Alec growled, crossing his arms over his chest. 

  
Magnus raised an eyebrow, looking up at the other man. "Is your objection that I am a man, or is your objection to me?" 

  
Alec's eyes widened and he took a step back. "Wh-what?" 

  
"Ah," Magnus said, clarity shooting through him. "It's  _ that _ . Typical Nephilim.” He shook his head. “Well, very well. Since that continues to not be an option we'll have to figure something else out for us, won't we?" 

  
"Which is?" Alec huffed, tense and fidgeting as he watched the tip of the quill hesitate against the parchment. 

  
Magnus hummed, considering, before an idea presented itself and he grinned, bright and wide. "I want you to be my bodyguard." 

  
Alec blinked. "Your… what?" 

  
Magnus grinned in delight at the idea, the details coming to him easily as though he had already written the contract. "This is a lovely idea. You'll be my bodyguard. You'll of course have free reign of the realm and the castle..." he hummed and started to write. 

  
Alec stared as words started to appear on the page, faster than he ever could have thought possible. Lead settled into his stomach. 

  
"You're trained to fight, and this way, you'll be honor bound to protect me, which will be quite lovely you know, a Prince always faces some corrupt subjects," Magnus continued, humming as he jotted down another note. "Then we, of course, need to establish what you are able to do in your free time… " 

  
Alec blinked again. "Fr-free time?" 

  
Magnus raised both of his eyebrows and stared at the Nephilim in front of him and shook his head. "Honestly, what do they teach you at the Academy and Institutes these days? You'd think that they believe we're all monsters simply chomping at the bit for the next battle." 

  
"I," Alec swallowed, staring at Magnus. "You're going to allow me to have free time?" 

  
Magnus waved a hand. "As nice as it will be having a bodyguard, I hardly need someone waiting on me hand and foot for an entire day. So let's see, venturing topside is obviously a must, I'll have to make a permanent portal for you… " 

  
Alec's breath caught at the simple statement and he stared at the words that appeared on the paper. 

  
"You'll of course have to return here each night, but I don't see that being a problem," he continued, humming. "That'll be the conditions, ensuring that you're meeting the letter of the contract. Then, let's see. I'll have to agree to supply you with weaponry, that's doable, if difficult, and we'll need to see about food and rooms and— " Magnus glanced back over at Alec, narrowing his eyes in consideration. “Wardrobe— my bodyguard must be outfitted accordingly _. _ ”

  
"Why are you doing all of this?" Alec blurted, his eyes wide. 

  
Magnus paused in his writing, staring at Alexander. "I beg your pardon?" 

  
Alec waved frantically at the contract. "You're, what you're writing! How, how can that possibly… how can you make a deal for… " 

  
Magnus sighed and put the quill down for a moment, pressing two fingers to his temple. "I really do wish that the Academy taught you how the realms of Hell actually work. But since they do not and I apparently need to correct that before you continue to doubt my intentions let's start somewhere else." 

  
Alec frowned. "What, what do you mean?" 

  
"All warlocks have a demon parent," Magnus said, staring Alec down. "I believe you also know that most of them are not dangerous. The more powerful our parent, the more powerful WE are." 

  
Alec nodded and took a breath. "I know that much." 

  
"Good," Magnus growled, continuing to look at him. "At least that means you learned something." 

Alec looked offended. 

"Stop looking like I just insulted your academic career," he grumbled, leaning back against the throne, taking a deep breath. "Were you taught why the realms of Hell exist?" 

Alec blinked. "Why… they exist? They haven't been around since..." 

"Since the fall of the angels?" Magnus offered. "No. No they have not. There used to be one realm and one realm only, Alexander." 

Alec frowned. "But then why would they be split up?" 

Magnus took a deep breath. "Because they're containing someone. And the Kings and Princes of Hell are the ones doing the containing." 

"Lilith," Alec breathed. "You're talking about Lilith." 

Magnus nodded. "I am indeed. The mother of demons." 

"Why does she have to be contained?" Alec pressed. "What's she want?" 

Magnus pointed up. "She wants your world. She wants it, she wants heaven, she wants all of it, torn down and destroyed, by her hand." 

Alec shuddered, frowning. "But then, why are you… " 

"Believe it or not," Magnus said with a raised eyebrow. "None of us here are too keen to die either, and she would not hesitate to destroy us if we get in her way." 

When Alec didn't add anything further, Magnus continued. "When Hell was split into the five realms, because there are five, despite what you all might be taught above, there were Princes named for each of the realms. Because the power had been split — Lilith was made weaker, and they were all made stronger. It allows for a sense of balance, if you will." 

Alec nodded. "Right, okay." 

"Now," Magnus continued. "It is in my vested interest to stay very much alive, because the last thing I need is Lilith traipsing into this realm to pick a fight with me," he paused and shook his shoulders. "Or my father, for that matter." 

"Okay… " Alec said, his brows creased. "I don't see what that has to do with me." 

Magnus sighed and looked heavenward. "It means I need someone to protect my back. I cannot trust anyone here, and I am well-aware that I cannot trust you. However, if you are contractually obligated to protect me, I can allow myself SOME form of peace." 

Alec tilted his head and studied the warlock in front of him, for the first time realizing the tightness around his eyes and the tenseness of his posture. "You want me to keep you safe so you can… rest?" 

"We can't all run on Stamina runes," Magnus shot back, leaning back against the throne. "The more tired I am, the weaker I am. Again. Vested interest in staying alive means I'm willing to give you a long leash to work with as long as I know you'll come back to do your part." 

Magnus sighed. "Also, no offense, but I've known Nephilim for hundreds of years. If I didn't allow you to go back and inform them of your well-being, someone with a name like yours would inspire an attack on the realm, and I simply do not have the energy or time to defend myself against a hoard of Nephilim AND Lilith." 

"They wouldn't send anyone after me," Alec said with a shake of his head. "But I would like to make sure that my siblings are all right." 

"You underestimate their love for their own kind, and an excuse to attack us," Magnus said, pointing at Alec. "Be careful, little angel. You've grown up with more lies than you are aware of, as you've found out in the past few days." 

Alec tensed, scowling at the reminder, turning away from Magnus. "What other criteria do you have for me? Protect you, what? With my life?" 

Magnus sighed again, staring at Alec's back. "Firstly, sit down. You're acting like a huffy teenager. I'm trying to make the best of what is admittedly a horrible situation for you. You could at the least thank me." 

Alec turned to glare at him. 

"Secondly, like it or not, and whether the Nephilim are willing to admit it or not, you need us to keep Lilith at bay, and I am trying to do my job. Allowing that to be undermined in any way, no matter how slim you think the possibility, is not acceptable," Magnus continued. 

He took a deep breath. "And finally, I said it before, but I will say it again. I am not my father, Alexander. I will require protection, but in terms of all of the things I could have asked for from you, is this truly one you are unwilling to give? Or, now that you’ve gotten a good look at me, have you decided you prefer the original terms?" 

Alec opened his mouth and then snapped it shut, looking away from Magnus. Magnus was right. The warlock could have asked for a hundred different things, or demanded them, and yet here he was talking about creating rooms, and portals that would let him see Jace and Izzy and Max, and making things tenable for him. "What do you think I need to protect you from?" 

"Opportunistic demons, mostly," Magnus said with a shrug. "There are plenty who wouldn't hesitate to put a knife in my back if they thought they could assume my position and my power." 

Alec raised both of his eyebrows. "You want me to kill demons? Here? In Edom?" 

Magnus chuckled and pointed at the necklace Alec was wearing tucked under his shirt. "That will act as an early warning system when and if any are close. I'd keep it on." 

Alec reached up to touch the necklace under his shirt and looked down at the contract on the table between the both of them. It still didn't seem real, and it did seem like there was a catch, but Magnus' eyes were still steady on him. "I don't know why you're doing this. I can't..." he frowned. "I am having a hard time trusting you when I simply don't know. It seems too…  _ good _ … to be true. Like there’s a trap hidden, and I’m about to walk right into it." 

Magnus stared at the Nephilim for a long time, debating how he wanted to respond. He could see Alec growing uncomfortable, squirming in his seat under the stare. To admit another reason was weakness, but his magic was calling out to the Nephilim, saying that he could trust him, that they could form something great together. His magic had never steered him wrong before. 

"I'm lonely," Magnus stated, his voice quiet. 

  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by the most amazing LaCroixWitch, who is a goddess among editors!!

Alec blinked and stared at the warlock who had gone uncharacteristically silent and still before staring a hole in him for what felt like minutes. "You're… " 

Magnus nodded. "I have demons who serve me. I have magic for anything I want within reason," he summoned a wineglass in an instant and sipped it, before letting it disappear. "I don't have… company." 

Alec rolled his eyes. "I'm hardly fit to fill a role like that." 

"You've done perfectly fine so far this afternoon," Magnus pointed out. 

"This afternoon I spent part of the time as your prisoner!" Alec shot back, eyeing Magnus. 

"And that's not what you're going to be going forward. Honestly, if you actually were my prisoner, don't you think I'd have knocked you around a bit?" Magnus said, raising an expectant eyebrow at him. 

“You tied me up!” Alec protested. 

“Only because you wouldn’t sit still!” Magnus shot back. “I let you go immediately after!” 

Alec scowled and thought of the times they had a captive at the Institute. He knew that Magnus was right, because he'd seen the technique used himself, and had used it, himself. 

"I don't want you to hate me. That's a surefire way to get myself stabbed with an angelic blade, like the one you still have strapped to your ankle," Magnus continued, looking up at Alexander. "So unless there is anything that you think you need to add to this contract, could we go ahead and get it signed?" 

Alec looked down at it and plucked the quill from Magnus' hand, tugging the contract towards him so he could start to read it properly. He could feel the shock from Magnus and hid his smile behind the parchment. 

"See?" Magnus said with a gesture. "This is why I want you to stay." 

Alec frowned. "Because I stole your quill from you?" 

Magnus nodded. "If any other subject of mine had tried, I probably would have killed him on the spot." 

Alec blinked and looked down at the quill and lowered the contract enough to look at Magnus. "I cannot believe this particular set of words is coming out of my mouth, but. You need to chill." 

Magnus burst out laughing, leaning against the throne once again, unable to keep from grinning at the Nephilim across from him. "Yes, you will do quite nicely," he told himself, still smiling. 

Alec flushed and turned his attention back to the contract, forcing himself to read it and check it for hidden clauses. But there was nothing. Except, no end date. He swallowed and looked up at Magnus. "I'd like to ask a question, without you getting offended." 

Magnus raised both of his eyebrows. "Now that's an interesting lead in. I suppose you may, go ahead." 

Alec looked down at the contract. "This is forever. There's no end date cited." 

Magnus tilted his head and studied the Nephilim in front of him. Unlike before, where he had been easy to read, now his features were stone, frozen. "Do you want there to be an end date?" 

Alec swallowed. "I don't know what the cost of having one would be. What more would you demand?" 

Magnus thought about that, looking down at the desk between the both of them. There were few things he could truly demand of the man in front of him, that he would willingly give. It was rare that he found someone so pure of heart. "You wish to go back?" 

"It's my home," Alec said with a shrug. "I don’t want to remain in Edom forever, no matter how often you allow me to visit them." 

Magnus waved his fingers and a few inked sentences were added to the bottom of the contract. "Very well. How does that do?" 

"To remain in Edom until the return of his father, or until the threat of Lilith's imminent invasion is diminished," Alec said, relaxing with a smile. "Yes, that works." 

Magnus felt the lie and it was worse than the constant red dust of Edom. But he was the son of a demon. If he didn't twist the truth, he wouldn't be fulfilling his role, and he was determined to do at least that. After all, he had a reputation to uphold. While the original contract was abhorrent and barbaric, the price of the deal had been high for a reason. "Then we have an accord. All that’s left to do is sign here, Alexander." 

Alec took a deep breath and sliced his finger open with the bejeweled dagger and pressed it to the bottom of the contract, watching it flare gold before disappearing. His shoulders sagged and he sank back into the chair he was sitting in. 

Magnus shook himself and ordered focus. "Are your wings injured?" 

Alec looked up in shock. "Wh-what?" 

"Your wings," Magnus said with a wave. "I saw you fighting when you came to the realm. Are they injured? The rest of you appears to be relatively fine." 

Alec shook his head. "They're fine. A little bruised, but they'll heal." 

Magnus gave a firmer nod and settled back into his throne, closing his eyes and stretching his power far beyond the castle, breathing out low and slow. "You'll need a portal back to your realm to collect your things. I'll expect you back within five hours. Understood?" 

Alec sucked in a hard breath and nodded. "I need, I need to inform my mother her contract is dissolved. I don't..." he trailed off and looked away from Magnus. "I don't want to think about what she was planning to make sure Izzy disappeared." 

Magnus' face was grim. "Do you wish for me to accompany you?" 

Alec blinked in surprise. "You can… do that?" 

Magnus laughed, his head falling back. "Alexander, I regularly visit your realm for  _ coffee _ , of course I can do that. However, I hardly think that we'd be going up there for coffee." 

"Right," Alec said, his mouth dry. Why did he have to be so damn beautiful? It didn't matter. He had a job to do, Izzy was safe, and Asmodeus couldn't get to her. 

"Do you need me to join you?" Magnus offered again, gentling his voice. "Or to portal your things back for you?" 

Alec tightened his hands into fists. "Stop, stop being so kind. I don't know what you're playing at," he growled, standing up out of the chair. "I need to talk to my mother and gather my things. If you can give me a way to call you, or call a portal, or, or something-" 

"Here," Magnus said, holding out his cell phone. "How about something far more simple." 

Alec took the phone and looked at the blank contact. "There's cell phone service in Edom?" 

Magnus smirked, both of his eyebrows raising. "Modern convenience at its finest. Yes. Certain parts of the realm do not, but here? Yes, we do." 

A small sound that might have been a laugh escaped him before Alec could stop it and he quickly typed his information into Magnus' phone. "There." 

"Excellent, thank you Alexander," Magnus said, typing out a quick text, waiting for the obvious notification noise from the Nephilim's pants. "There, now you have my number. When you are ready to go, simply give me a call. I shall be waiting with bated breath, my darling." 

Alec flushed and turned away from him, huffing. "Don't call me that." 

Magnus rolled his eyes and focused on forming him a portal back to the surface. "Then be safe. May I be allowed to say that?" 

Alec turned back to the warlock, confused at the quiet wish, even as the portal flared to life behind him. 

Magnus chafed under the look he was being given from the Nephilim and took a deep breath. "Stop looking at me like that, I haven't done anything." 

"On the contrary," Alec said, his voice low. "I owe you a thank you that I do not know that I can ever repay." He squared his shoulders and looked to the portal. "I'll be back in a few hours. It won't… it won't take long." 

Magnus watched the Nephilim step through the portal and closed it behind him. He stared at the ceiling of his tower for several long minutes before cursing and summoning another portal for himself. The stupid Nephilim was going to get himself into trouble, he could already feel it. 

~!~

Alec had never expected to walk back out of Edom after he had found the way in several hours prior. But stepping out of the portal into an alley less than a block from the Institute had him reeling. He took a deep breath and leaned back against the wall, clenching his eyes shut, giving himself a minute to breathe. Even the dumpster of rotting garbage next to him paled in comparison to the oppressive atmosphere of Edom— at least until Magnus offered him a deal that was still probably too good to be true. 

It was too much.  _ Too fucking much.  _ Everything— finding out about the deal, trying to say goodbye to Jace and Izzy without them realizing what was wrong, avoiding his mother, and now. Here he was. After having talked to the son of Asmodeus, forging a new deal, and somehow coming out of all of that alive. What the hell was he going to tell everyone? 

"You know," Magnus said, snapping his fingers to hold out a sealed bottle of water. "I do recommend waiting for the panic attack to recede before you go and confront whatever— or whoever— has you tied up in knots." 

Alec glared at the warlock standing next to him. "I told you that you didn't need to come with me." 

Magnus shrugged. "I'm not planning to follow you. I have errands I can run topside too, you know. However, I also figured that you might be… " he waved in Alec's general direction, indicating his current heaving chest. 

"I'll be fine," Alec snarled. "But you took my stele and I can't— "

Magnus summoned the stele with a wave of his fingers and held it out to Alec, watching the surprise dance across his face. With another quick twitch, Alec's bow and quiver were in his other hand and he held them out. 

Alec scowled, staring at the warlock. "I really don't get you," he grumbled, slipping them back into their appropriate holsters and onto his back. 

"What's to get?" Magnus said with a shrug. "You know what I am, I know what you are, we've made a deal that's mutually beneficial to us both, and I've told you several times now I'm not particularly interested in having one of those blades of yours shoved into my chest." 

Alec exhaled hard and glared at the warlock. "That doesn't mean you get to keep being so… " 

"Nice?" Magnus offered with a smile and his eyebrows raised. "Believe it or not," he stared, then paused, looking back down the alley wall, his brows furrowing. "No warlock is born cruel," he said softly, tilting his head, frowning. 

"Is something wrong?" Alec asked, tensing. 

Magnus squinted, and there it was, a faint glint. His eyes flared gold and he waved his hand, blue magic flaring to life as he rotated his hand and pulled a Shax demon flying into his hand. He squeezed it and held it close, his voice a low growl. "Spying on me, are we?" 

Alec stepped back, even as he watched Magnus hold the demon easily, only inches from his face. 

Magnus twisted his hand and the Shax demon disappeared in a flood of Ichor and shadow. He rolled his eyes and looked down at the end of the alley, giving a firm nod. "I'm sorry about that. I mentioned having those who want to overthrow me?" 

"Is that common?" Alec asked, waving towards the Shax demon. 

"No, normally they don't get quite that brave," Magnus said with a huff, shaking the last of the Ichor off his clothes. "Now, you need to be on your way to have your lovely conversations and I am going to go run some errands. Call me when you're done and I'll portal us back." 

Alec blinked as Magnus walked away from him and turned the corner, his boots clicking easily against the pavement. At least with his bow and stele back he didn't feel half naked. Slung across his back, his quiver irritated his injured wings, still tucked away and safely glamoured against his back. The damage was worse than he’d told Magnus -- but it was something he had dealt with before, especially since Iratzes didn’t work well on wing injuries. They’d heal well enough on their own with time. He forced himself to pull his phone out of his pocket and stared at it, at the alerts that he had missed, the calls from his mother, from his siblings. 

There was nothing he could explain over the phone. It would have to be in person. He turned and made his way towards the Institute. In many ways, the halls were just as intimidating as the halls of Magnus' castle in Edom. Alec squared his shoulders and walked through the glamour, ignoring the shock and surprised looks from the patrol about to leave. 

"Alec!" Jace shouted, spying his parabatai from Ops. "Thank the Angel, there you are, where the hell have you been, Mom— " 

Alec held up his hand and stopped Jace. "I'll explain everything, but I am doing it once, and only once. Get Izzy, now," Alec commanded. For once, Jace didn't question the order, only stared at him with narrowed eyes before spinning and heading towards the armory. Alec stopped at one of the tables in ops and looked down at the active patrol. No issues, no signs of Greater Demons, or even demon flare ups— he’d be able to have everyone’s attention. 

He took another deep breath as he heard the rapidly approaching heel clicks that meant Izzy was on her way. 

"Alec!" Izzy called, racing towards him, wrapping him up in a hug. "Why the hell haven't you been answering your phone?" 

Alec took another deep breath and looked down at his younger sister, wrapping his arms around her, hugging her tight. He'd done this for her, and he would always do this sort of thing for her. It was his job, after all. 

"Alec?" Izzy asked, her voice more quiet than it had been previously. "Is something wrong?" 

Alec squared his shoulders and pulled back from her and looked to Jace. "Come with me," he ordered. He looked around Ops and saw that everyone was looking at them. He straightened his spine and glowered at them all until they turned to go back to work. 

Izzy shared a look with Jace, but when Alec turned and began to stride down the hallway, she immediately fell into step behind him. 

Alec didn't bother doing more than a cursory knock on the office door before he opened it, not waiting for a summons. After everything he’d done for his mother, he didn’t need permission to tell her how he saved her and Isabelle.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the posting delay - was editing this bad boy up and adding some chapters later in the fic for y'alls enjoyment! Hope it's worth the wait!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I didn't originally intend for this one to update THIS slowly - but I have to move some stuff around in the fic and I've added a BUNCH of scenes (there's going to be like...3 more chapters of scenes, at least), so there's a reason for it! Bear with me!

"Excuse me, what do you think you are— Alec!" Maryse stood up, staring at her son in shock and anger. "Get out of this office right this instant!" 

"No," Alec snapped, shutting the door behind him once Jace and Izzy were in the room. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Sit down, mother. We're going to talk. And you might want to hang up on whoever you are on the phone with." 

Maryse glowered, her hands tightening into fists. "I do not take orders from you, Alec. Get the hell out of my office, and know that you are going to be confined to the Institute for the remainder of the week for the stunt you have pulled— " 

Alec pulled out his phone and glared at her. He dialed the number from the text he had received earlier and held it to his ear. 

"Alexander," Magnus purred, picking up his phone. "Miss me already?" 

Alec took a deep breath and stared at his mother, at the fury in her eyes. "I need a copy of the original contract in my hand, as well as the current one, please." 

Magnus stopped mid-stride at the tone in Alec's voice and snapped his fingers. "Done." 

Alec looked down at the contracts and turned them towards his mother, watching her face go white before she slammed the phone down onto the receiver. "Thank you, Magnus. I'll let you know if I need anything else." 

Magnus pulled his phone back and stared at it. The dead and hard tone of Alec's voice made his magic ache. The betrayal of a parent was something he was intimately familiar with. Forgoing the rest of his errands, at least for the time being, Magnus portaled himself to the outside of the Institute. Nothing wrong with being prepared if necessary. 

Maryse sank down into her office chair, staring at the contract that Alec was holding. "Where did you find that?" 

Alec looked at the two contracts and tossed the one his mother had made onto her desk. "You must have been looking at it recently. I found it stuffed into a report that you had slated for me to read. Counting down how many days left?" he snarled. 

"Alec," Izzy asked, stepping forward between Maryse and her brother. "What is going on?" 

Alec glared at his mother. "Tell her," he demanded. 

Maryse closed her eyes, pursing her lips together. "No." 

"Tell her!" Alec shouted, slamming his hands down at the end of the desk. "Tell her, or I will!" 

Maryse shook, dropping her hands to the arms of the chair she was sitting in, taking a deep breath before looking at her son. "There's nothing you can do." 

"No?" Alec asked, his voice still raised. He could feel Izzy and Jace behind him, the fear coming through the bond from his  _ Parabatai _ . "You think there is nothing that I wouldn't do to reverse that, that horror that you created?!" 

"Alec, you don't understand, Max was— " 

"Did you even try?!" Alec shouted, his shoulders shaking. "Did you even try to talk to them? To any of them?!" 

Maryse took a deep breath and stared at her son. "I won't apologize for what I did, Alec. I won't." 

Alec felt his heart stop and stared at his mother. "You don't regret it, do you?" he whispered, all of the anger draining out of him in one go. 

Maryse didn't answer, only stared at him. "You will leave this office right now, Alexander. You will be leaving for Wrangel Island to monitor the wards first thing . tomorrow morning." 

"No, as a matter of fact, I will not," Alec snapped, ignoring the look of surprise on her face. "Because I undid what you did." He turned to Izzy and grabbed the contract off the table. 

"On your twentieth birthday," Alec started, staring at his sister. "Mother agreed to turn you over to Asmodeus. She made a deal with a Greater Demon to save Max’s life when he was sick, instead of trying to find a warlock who might be willing to cure him." 

Izzy took the piece of paper with trembling fingers, staring at it. "Wh-what?" 

"You would have been given to him to bear all of the warlock children he could ever want," Alec continued. "It's all there. Written. Signed in her blood." 

"Alec," Maryse started. "That's enough." 

"No," Alec said, shaking his head. "That's not enough, because at the very least I was willing to fight for her. At the very least I  _ tried _ to do something about it." 

Jace spoke up for the first time, stepping closer to Alec. "What did you do?" 

“I went down there myself, willing to do whatever it took to keep Izzy safe— even if it meant fulfilling as much as I could of the original contract. But I’m a better negotiator than you are, mother.” Alec tossed the other piece of paper at his mother, on her desk. "Read it," he ordered. "I'll summarize for Jace and Isabelle." 

Maryse snatched up the contract, her eyes flying over it. 

Alec turned to Jace and Izzy, looking from one to the other before taking a deep breath. "I went to Edom, alone," he explained, watching both of their faces drop into shock. "I went to offer myself as the fulfillment for the deal in Izzy's place." 

"You did what?" Maryse snapped. 

Alec ignored her and stared at his parabatai and sister. "I made another deal. One that nullified the one she made, Izzy. You're safe now. They promised me you're safe now, and it's written into my contract." 

Izzy swallowed, reaching out to touch Alec. "And what, what did you have to give them?" 

"Well," Alec said with a rueful grin. "I'm going to be staying in Edom for the foreseeable future. But I'll be able to visit regularly, according to my contract." 

Jace relaxed a fraction. "You're sure?" 

"Yeah," Alec said, smiling a little. "I got lucky, and thankfully the warlock I made the deal with was happy to accomodate me," he glanced over his shoulder. "Despite what had originally been in place." 

"Alec," Maryse started, her fingers shaking on this contract. "You can't." 

"I think," Alec said, turning around to face his mother, all of his anger and fury returning. "You will find I can. Because I wondered, you know. You know that if Izzy simply went missing I would have torn apart every realm and then some looking for her." 

Maryse was silent. 

"So," Alec continued. "That meant you either had to fake her death, or some other type of end planned for her, don't you?" 

Maryse looked away from her three children. "You don't understand, Alec." 

"Then tell me why!" Alec growled. "Tell me why the warlock community blacklisted you. Tell me why none of them could heal Max. Tell me why you had to go to a Greater Demon!" 

Maryse stared at the wall. "I can't," she said, her voice firm. 

"You were willing to sacrifice your daughter— your only daughter," Alec said, his voice silent and deadly. "To save the life of your other child." 

Maryse didn't say anything, only kept her eyes on the wall. "Get out." 

Alec pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, showing the red recording light. He waited until Maryse had turned around and her eyes had locked onto it. "I'm not going to turn you into the Consul, even though I have every right to and more," he said. 

Maryse stared at her son, her shoulders straight. "Then what are you going to do?" 

"You are going to abdicate the position of Head. I don't care what reason you give, I don't give a shit about anything you do, ever again," Alec growled. "But I am giving this to Jace and Izzy. And if I find out that you have done anything to them, or Max? I will come after you, and I will not stop until I make it right. Do I make myself clear?" he planted his hands on the edge of her desk, staring right into her eyes. 

"You don't know who they are going to put in my place," Maryse said. "You don't know— " 

"No, I don't," Alec snapped, glaring at her. "Because you've never bothered to be honest with us a day in your life." He swiped the contract away from her and tucked it into his pocket, straightening up again. "I'm collecting my things. Make up whatever story you want for my absence and yours. I don't care." 

"Alec!" Maryse said. "You can't do this to me, to  _ us _ !" 

Alec looked over his shoulder, his hand on the doorknob of her office. "There ceased to be an  _ us _ when I found out that you willingly sold my sister to a greater demon. I don't give a damn about the Lightwood name and I will drag it through the dirt of Edom and each of the other four realms of hell if you come anywhere near my siblings again." 

He opened the door and stepped out, waiting for Jace and Izzy to follow behind him before he slammed it shut, turning and striding towards his room. 

"Alec," Jace said. "You can't be serious." 

Alec turned the corner, his strides long, well aware that Jace and Izzy were having trouble keeping up. He shook his head. He couldn't focus on that right now. He couldn't. "About what part?" 

"All of it?" Jace said, waving his hands, stopping next to Alec when he paused in front of his door. He stepped in after Alec and drew a silencing rune on the door. "You can't expect me to believe Maryse made a deal— " 

"I can," Alec said. "Because she did. Trust me. I've seen Seelie contracts, I know what a demon deal contract looks like, and she made one." 

Izzy sank down on the edge of the bed, hanging her head. 

"Then what? You're going to live in Edom?" Jace said. "You'll die there in a matter of days!" 

"No I won't," Alec said, shaking his head. "The warlock I made my deal with, he gave me something that protects me from the air there." 

"And what did that cost?" Izzy asked, her voice quiet. She looked up at her brother. "What else did you have to give up to keep us safe, Alec?" 

Alec blew out a hard breath, grabbing an old duffle bag before he started stuffing clothing into it, followed by a few of his favorite books and some of the few mementos he had from Jace, Izzy and Max. "Nothing I wouldn't give a hundred times over for any of you, Izzy." 

"Are you going to be okay?" Jace asked, reaching out to touch Alec's arm. "There's never been a Nephilim living in a demonic realm before. You don't even know if our powers, if our runes— " 

"Runes work," Alec said, taking another deep breath. "So do seraph blades. I'll be acting as a bodyguard for the warlock. He's the one I called." 

Izzy frowned. "You're… going to be his bodyguard?" 

"Yeah," Alec said, pushing his fingers through his hair, looking around the room and then at the half-full duffle. Was that really all he needed to take? "It'll be fine." 

"For how long? Forever?" Izzy asked, looking up at her brother. "Alec, you can't do this for me." 

Alec sat down on the bed next to her and shifted so he could rest his head on her shoulder, reaching out to take her hand, giving it a squeeze. "I already have," he whispered. "I'd give up even more to keep you safe. This is just part of me being your big brother." 

Izzy gave a watery laugh, turning into Alec's shoulder. "I'm pretty sure most big brothers don't get their little sister out of demon deals. They threaten boyfriends, they give the best hugs and they punch bullies." 

"Well, consider this just one more item added to the list," Alec offered with a shrug, glad when Jace sat down on his other side. "Besides, I'm going to be able to visit. It's in my contract. He's invested in me not stabbing him, so he's willing to give me a bit of a leash." 

"You're going to be in constant danger there," Jace said, leaning back. "How do you know you're going to be safe?" 

Alec looked at his brother with raised eyebrows. "The same type of constant danger I am in on every patrol that I have ever gone on up here?" 

Jace snorted and conceded the point with a grin. "Fair enough." 

"I don't like this," Izzy said with a sigh. "But it's not like we can do anything." 

"I figure," Alec said with a sigh. "That I've gotten beyond a best case scenario. I am able to come tell you what's going on, I can come visit and see you regularly, Mom isn't going to be Head anymore… " 

"Yeah, unless they get us someone evil," Jace said with a shudder. "Then we're gonna be blaming you all the way down in Edom!" 

Alec snorted and rolled his eyes. "Start cursing in my name, maybe it'll make me more powerful." 

Both Jace and Izzy started laughing at that, leaning in closer to him. 

Alec took a deep breath and looked at the ceiling. "But I should probably head out." 

"Wait," Izzy said, narrowing her eyes. "I want to meet him. Did he come topside with you?" 

Alec blinked and stared at her. "You want to meet… who?" 

"The warlock," Izzy said with a wave. "The one who supposedly fixed all of this mess." 

Alec tilted his head. "I don't… know if he'd be willing to come visit." 

Izzy pointed to his phone. "Well, call him and see." 

Alec pulled out his phone again and thumbed it open, taking a deep breath as he dialed the same number as before. 

"Everything all right, Alexander?" Magnus’s voice purred through the receiver, although his normal tone was barely covering up his obvious concern.

Alec didn't even know where to begin. "I have no idea. But my siblings want to meet you. Can you, uh. Do you need us to come outside?" 

Magnus hummed, closing his eyes. "Press your hand to the ruby." 

Alec did as he asked and closed his eyes as well, feeling a pulse of power from it. "Everything okay?" 

"Oh yes," Magnus said, his voice quiet. "Just need to.. .aha!" He snapped, and in a heartbeat, was standing across from Alec in his room. "Hello there!" 

Alec fumbled his phone and turned it off, staring at the warlock in surprise. "Shit, you could have warned me!" 

"You're the one asking me to visit your childhood bedroom, Alexander," Magnus said, looking around, wrinkling his nose. "Nephilim. No sense of taste. So bleakly utilitarian and sterile… too many… squares." 

Izzy let out a surprised bark of laughter. "This is the warlock?" 

Magnus turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "It is indeed. I am assuming you are Isabelle Lightwood?" 

Izzy winked at him. "He's cute," she whispered to Alec, giving his shoulder a shove. 

Alec didn't bother answering her, staring at the ceiling. "And the one currently glaring a hole in you is my brother, Jace.” Alec flexed his jaw and threw a knowing look at his  _ parabatai. _ “Jace, play nice." 

"I always play nice," Jace grumbled, standing up. 

Izzy gave Alec another hug before turning to the warlock, ambling towards him with a roll of her hips, her smirk turning lethal. "Treat my brother well, or you will regret it." 

Magnus raised both of his eyebrows at her, impressed at the threat, and the fact that she had enough power in her to back it up. "He's doing me the favor as much as I am doing him one. He won't come to any harm if I can prevent it." 

"Good," Izzy said with a firm nod. "I'll expect to see you regularly. Alec can give you my phone number." 

Magnus blinked after her and then turned back to see Alec and his brother sharing a tight hug. He leaned against the wall and gave them a minute of whispering together before they separated. 

"Look," Jace said, pushing his fingers through his hair. "I hate this situation. But, thank you." 

Magnus raised his eyebrows. Thanks, from a Nephilim? Now that was something rare indeed. 

"And if you hurt him, or let him get hurt, I'll make sure no one finds your body and that you die slowly and painfully," Jace continued, giving the warlock a firm shoulder slap before he headed out the door. 

Magnus turned to look at Alec, sitting down on the edge of the bed again. He looked small in this room, much smaller than he had in his throne room at Edom. He tilted his head and studied the man. 

"You know," Alec breathed, exhaling hard. "I didn't thank you, did I?" 

Magnus raised both of his eyebrows. "Hmm?" 

"For, for," Alec swallowed. "Being willing to renegotiate the deal. For being so generous with your side of the deal. You, you could have had me sleeping on the floor, you could have forbid me from ever seeing them again and-" 

Magnus sat down next to Alec and reached out to put a hand on his forearm. "Breathe, or you're going to have another panic attack." 

Alec forced himself to take a deep breath, trying to breathe in. "This can't all be because… of what you told me." 

Magnus shrugged. "The people I can and am willing to trust are few and far between. You have shown yourself to be the most loyal of people, and that for those you care about, you will go to the ends of the earth, sometimes literally." 

Alec stared down at his hands. "I suppose. But that doesn't tell me why you're trusting me to protect you." 

"Mutually beneficial situations often start out like this. You needed something I can provide, and I needed something you can provide," Magnus said, swinging his feet. "Looking into it much further than that, and you'll run your head in circles." 

"I guess." Alec sighed and brushed his fingers through his hair. 

Magnus gave Alec a wry grin. "If I must confess, it also doesn't hurt that you are far from bad to look at." 

Alec huffed out a laugh, turning to look at Magnus with a glare. "I thought we said no to the sex slave bit. It better not be written on the contract in invisible ink… " 

"Hey, no sex slavery involved, but I'd have to be blind to miss those cheekbones," Magnus said with a general gesture at Alexander. 

Alec snorted and rolled his eyes, forcing himself to stand up and zip up the duffle bag. "All right, well, thank you, I guess?" 

"Just think," Magnus teased with a grin. "I could have required you to wear nothing more than skimpy clothing for the rest of your days in Edom. I assure you it's more than warm enough." 

Alec gave the warlock a pained look. "Really?" 

Magnus held up his hands and looked at the one bag that the Nephilim was carrying with a frown. "Is that all that you're bringing?" 

"Yes?" Alec said, looking around the room. "I don't need anything else, I have everything in here." 

Magnus frowned at the small bag and looked at Alec. "We're going to need to take you shopping." 

Alec gave him a pained look. "I absolutely do _not_ want to go shopping." 

"Well, that's certainly not going to be enough and I refuse to do laundry for you that frequently," Magnus said, summoning another portal, gesturing for Alec to walk through first. “Plus, I don’t want my entourage looking shabby!” 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting, folks!! There's definitely been a handful of complications with the editing - but I like how this chapter came out as a result! Prepare to dive headfirst into the domesticity of Hell (there's a sentence I never thought I'd write), as we go into the next few chapters. 
> 
> Note, this fic WILL be longer than 13 chapters - I'm estimating 15ish at present, but it could go longer as I add more to the middle. The fic IS still finished and there's an ending, I'm just giving you more cute stuff to savor. 
> 
> Thanks for your patience!!

Alec took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and walked back into Edom. The heat of the air immediately fell around his shoulders and he sighed, shaking his head at it. 

"Are you all right?" Magnus asked him, immediately grabbing his arm to make sure that everything was okay. 

"Yeah," Alec nodded, shaking himself. He'd be able to see them soon. He would, Magnus had promised. He had to trust in that, Magnus was not going to betray his trust. He had a contract. 

"Right," Magnus said, clearly not believing him. "I don't believe that for a single second, but I suppose I'll allow it, for now." 

Alec shot him a grateful glance. "That'll work. Do you mind, if I uh, could I have my bedroom?" 

Magnus hummed and turned around the throne room before heading towards the doorway. "After me!" he called, waving his hand. "I'm going to put your room next to mine. Makes the most sense so that you can protect me, after all." 

"My life is on the line for you,  _ my lord _ ," Alec intoned, catching the look Magnus gave him. 

"Alexander, was that a joke?" Magnus asked, waving his hands. 

Alec raised his eyebrows and shrugged, keeping his duffle draped over his shoulder. 

"Well well, what do you know," Magnus said, shaking his head again before focusing on the empty portion of wall in front of him. "All right, let's see." He closed his eyes, magic crackling around his fingertips. 

Alec's breath caught as Magnus muttered under his breath and the bricks in front of him moved away, a room starting to take shape beyond it. It wasn't small either, and Alec bit down on his lip when he watched extension after extension go into place, a bed, a dresser, item after item. His mouth went dry as the extent of what Magnus was willing to do to make him comfortable became evident. It didn’t even look particularly difficult as he wove his arms in slow circles and weaves, adjusting the room and furniture within it with nothing more than a flick of his fingers. It was too much. He didn’t need any of this. Alec took a deep breath and reached out, taking Magnus' arm, startling the warlock. 

Magnus frowned at him. "Never interrupt a warlock at work." 

"You've," Alec cleared his throat. "You've done more than enough," he said, gesturing to the room. "I don't— I don't need all of this." 

Magnus snorted and rolled his eyes. "Nephilim," he groaned, "know nothing of luxury. I, for one, am a Prince of Hell and I am not about to let you live in squalor, especially while working for me. Your conditions— and your  _ wardrobe _ for that matter— are reflections on my character and prowess as a  _ royal,” _ Magnus huffed. 

"Says the man who works with demons all day," Alec quipped, stepping into the room. The colors were a dark forest green and he could already feel some of the tension seeping from his shoulders at the sight of far less red. It reminded him of his bedroom at the Institute. Stone and rock, with a few wall hangings with designs he didn’t recognize and no windows. The lack of windows immediately helped him relax further - there would be no one sneaking up on him here. In many ways it was  _ more _ comfortable than his Institute room and he couldn't help notice the bed was more than big enough for his frame, and there were two doors on the side of the room. 

It was… not what he was expecting. It felt like a room he could actually relax in, maybe even not hate spending time in. 

"That is the entrance to my room," Magnus said, patting on the door. "The other is your bathroom, complete with a tub that you should take advantage of, because one of the few abuses I do give my power is limitless water to those of us who appreciate it." 

Alec fought down a laugh and looked at the warlock, shaking his head. "You are unlike anyone I have ever met in my life, Magnus Bane." 

Magnus raised his eyebrows. "You talk to many sons of Greater Demons?" 

"No," Alec allowed. "But I was a Seelie Ambassador for several years, and I've talked to my fair share of warlocks. The statement stands." 

Magnus blinked in surprise at the small tidbit of Alec's life before that he had been offered and smiled. "Well, I shall take that as the compliment that it clearly is. Now, put your stuff down, I have work, sadly, that I must be getting to, and that includes you accompanying me to it." 

Alec raised an eyebrow. "What are we going to be doing?" 

"What every good prince does when his father is away," Magnus said, his eyes glinting gold. "Ruling." 

Alec shrugged and dropped the duffle on the bed, straightening his bow and quiver around his shoulders. "Lead the way then, your highness." 

Magnus wrinkled his nose. "You make me sound so...  _ old _ when you say that. Stop that, will you?" 

"Speaking of which," Alec said, following Magnus back up the spiraling staircase. "How old _ are _ you?" 

Magnus gasped, turning to look at Alec with wide eyes. "Excuse you, it is very rude of you to ask that, and I know that you are well aware." 

"Well, clearly from the Victorian Era since you're clutching your proverbial pearls at the question," Alec said, rolling his eyes. 

Magnus barked out a quick laugh, narrowing his eyes at Alec and the way that he prowled into the throne room, his eyes flying around it, assessing it for threats. With a snap of his fingers he rearranged the room shifting the throne to the center, putting it in command of the space. Would also allow for his little Nephilim bodyguard to have space behind him. A glance up at the ceiling had him humming in consideration and with a quick twist of his fingers the part that was open to the sky was abruptly closed and one of the nearby windows expanded to account for the change. When Magnus caught his bodyguard raising his eyebrows he shrugged. “I am not unfamiliar with the notion of protecting one’s back, Alexander.” 

“So I’m realizing,” Alec said, moving to stand off to the side, and slightly behind the throne. He watched Magnus stride towards it, his shoulders rolling and magic settling over his skin in a more obvious way before he sprawled into the chair. 

Magnus sighed and waved his fingers, summoning the crown of thorns from nearby onto his head, settling it carefully into place. Barbaric traditions. 

Alec glanced at him and frowned. "Doesn't suit you." 

"I am well-aware," Magnus said. "It’s tacky… and it ruins my hair." 

Alec snorted and fought down a grin. He shouldn't be laughing at things a warlock says. Especially one that was effectively keeping him prisoner like Magnus was. "I meant more along the lines of, it seems too ..." 

" _ Royal _ ?" Magnus asked, emphasizing the word. "It's supposed to. It serves as a reminder to those who visit of who and what I am and why they should not cross me." 

"I can understand that," Alec said. "Our wings are the same, in a way." 

Magnus shot a glance over to him, curious. But the sound of demons approaching the doorway had him calling a halt to any further conversation, and he turned to address the ones walking in with an imperious eyebrow. 

~!~

Once Magnus had finished holding court for the day, Alec accepted Magnus’ dismissal and headed to the room he had been given. Standing in the middle of a room,  _ alone, _ staring at the duffle bag he’d brought on the bed, he felt the true enormity of what he had done settle onto his shoulders, his wings twitching in agitation on his back. 

There was no safety for him here - not in a realm of Hell. Only what he had in his contract and the word of a warlock he desperately wanted to trust, even though he knew the futile nature of it.

Alec felt his hands start to shake and sucked in a deep breath, clenching his hands into fists. He ached to be able to train, to fight until he was exhausted and he had no choice but to sleep, but not only would that leave him vulnerable to any demon who knew he was here, it would leave Magnus open to attack. And since the warlock was the only thing keeping him from being killed by the demons here, he had no choice but to keep him safe. 

Rifling through the duffle bag briefly, he pulled out a book and went to sit on the ground, leaning back against the door, shifting to spread his wings under the glamour and relieve the ache for a little while. After a few minutes, he pulled out his stele and activated a handful of runes, closing his eyes as he listened to the sounds around the castle. At least like this he didn’t feel surrounded by suffocating silence. Up until now, Magnus’ presence had been enough to keep that at bay, but here, like this, there was nothing stopping those walls from pressing in. 

It had to have been at least a couple of hours when Alec heard Magnus moving about in the bedroom next door and he relaxed a fraction. Now he’d be able to better keep an eye on Magnus. He stood up and walked to the door between their rooms, knocking briefly on the door. 

The sound of a knock startled Magnus and he turned around, looking at the heavy wooden door. Striding to it, he opened it and found the Nephilim on the other side, damn near fidgeting. “Alexander?” 

“I, uh,” Alec cleared his throat. “You should leave your door cracked. So I can get in there quickly if I need to.” 

Magnus raised both of his eyebrows. The seriousness of the request belied his instinctive need to tease and he glanced to the door. “You think that is necessary?” 

Alec shrugged. “Better to plan for it and not need to use it.” 

“Very well,” Magnus said, stepping back from the door. “Leave it open whatever amount you see fit, Alexander. I trust your judgement in this.” 

“Right,” Alec said, watching Magnus stride away from the door. “Have, uh, have a good night,” he called, shutting the door almost completely. 

Magnus turned to look at the almost-shut door in surprise, blinking. “You too,” he managed, wondering if Alec could even hear him. He forced himself to shrug and turned back to the bed, settling into it, closing his eyes. At least his Nephilim bodyguard was taking the job somewhat seriously. 

~!~

When Magnus jolted awake at the sound of an arrow being unsheathed from its quiver, Magnus bolted upright, magic gathering and swirling around his hands as he searched for the threat. Not just the threat— but where his angelic bodyguard had run off to. Alec was by the door, an arrow nocked on his bow, ready for attack. Magnus narrowed his eyes— he couldn’t see or hear an immediate threat, but Alec was at full attention. When he saw Magnus rouse, Alec looked at him, held up a finger to his lips, ordering him to silence. 

The nephilim pressed his ear to the door, closing his eyes to focus on the low demon growls that he could hear approaching. Glowing beneath the hem of his faded black shirt, Magnus could see what could only be the  _ soundless _ rune activated and glowing on Alec’s side. This Shadowhunter was pulling out all the stops to protect a Prince of Hell. It was one thing to have Alec’s agreement, but to see it in action was another thing altogether and Magnus was not quite sure how he felt about the sight. 

Magnus stared in shock as he watched the necklace around Alec's neck start to glow crimson, lighting the dark room. Alec had heard them before the necklace had alerted him? Magnus had clearly underestimated the advantages of a runed bodyguard. He looked back to the bed, and the blanket that he'd thrown off of himself and back to the shadowhunter, his mind putting several pieces together and coming up with nothing but confusion. Why would demons be attacking right now? It made no sense.

"Four," Alec whispered, listening to the footsteps. "Traveling tightly together."

Magnus' eyes narrowed and his eyes flicked to gold slits. "What else?" he whispered back. 

Alec shifted the hold on his bow and pulled another three arrows from his quiver, his shoulders straightening. "Stay here," he ordered. "They're going to the throne room." 

Magnus watched in shock as Alec dragged his stele over a rune Magnus didn’t recognize and he was abruptly glamoured, only able to be seen by Magnus because he was actively looking for the shadowhunter. If Alec kept to the shadows and stayed out of sight, the demons would likely never see him. 

"Alec," Magnus hissed, but the shadowhunter was already out the door. He stared at the ceiling and fought down the urge to growl. Damn loyal shadowhunters and their self-sacrificing streaks! Alec didn't even know him! Magnus wanted to be involved— he found himself itching for a fight he’d tried so hard to not have to deal with— that’s why he’d taken on a bodyguard after all. But who was he to resist some fun when it came directly to his door?

With a silent snap of his fingers, Magnus was dressed and slipping out the door behind his Nephilim, and he had no idea how Alec had managed it, but the shadowhunter was almost directly behind the demons now, his tall form sunk into the shadows of the staircase’s curve. Magnus would admire the use of environmental camouflage if he didn't have to deal with traitors in his midst. 

He focused on the demons, diving into their minds, and what they were growling at each other and tilted his head when he didn't find any mention of himself. They were looking for a book, a book they didn't know the name of, but would know when they saw it? 

Magnus trailed both Alec and the demons into the throne room, watching as Alec slipped behind the door and he stood in the doorway, glamoured with his arms crossed. He wasn't about to let the demons leave without answering for their crimes, and breaking into his castle was most certainly a crime. 

As the minutes ticked by, they became more and more frantic, and Magnus stepped out of his glamour the second they stopped thumbing through the books carefully. "That. Is. Enough," he snarled, his eyes glowing bright gold, illuminating some of the room. He snapped, lighting the rest of the candles in a dramatic flash as the four demons spun towards him. Thankfully, their roar of frustration covered up the irritated curse of his name from Alexander. Magnus fought down a grin and turned back to them. 

"Now," Magnus drawled, looking at all of them. "Who wants to tell me what you are doing here? Preferably before you die." 

When none of the demons answered, Magnus conjured a flame to his hand, black, edged in white and watched fear enter each of the demon's eyes. "Now, I think you can do better than that," he growled, staring each of them down. 

Unfortunately, there wasn't much more that they could tell him that he hadn't already heard. Magnus extinguished the flame and glared at all of them. He gestured to the door. "You're free to go," he said. "On one condition. Your horns," Magnus added, holding out his hand. 

The demons reared back, roaring in anger. "You dare— " the biggest one— their leader— started, the rest hissing in a sinister chorus behind him. 

"I do," Magnus said, lifting his chin. "If you want to live and walk from this room alive, you will give me your horns. The longer you wait, the more body parts you lose." 

The demons growled and Magnus sighed, summoning flame to his hands again. They always made things so difficult.

Alec stepped around the corner of the doorframe and drew all four arrows at once, taking in the demons’ shock as they turned to face him. He released the arrows, piercing each of their necks, sending them screaming and collapsing to the floor in pools of ichor. 

"Well," Magnus drawled, looking over at Alexander, his eyebrows raised. "I must admit that was certainly a show. Do you treat all of your protectees like this?" 

Alec snorted and walked towards the demons, reclaiming each of his arrows, cleaning them before putting them back in his quiver. "I didn't think you using fire in a room with books was a great idea." 

Magnus blinked and stared at Alec. "I'm a warlock, Alexander. The fire wouldn't have touched the books." He raised a palmful of flame, stroking along the bookshelf. “Warlock fire only burns what it intends to.” 

Alec flushed and looked down at his hands. "Oh. I didn't… " 

"Well," Magnus said, completely charmed. "Regardless, you didn't know that and acted with my collection's protection in mind. I didn't realize how far your loyalty extended." 

Alec shrugged. "I can tell that you're better for this realm than many others. Helping you to stay in power is likely a good idea." 

"Hm," Magnus said, studying the Nephilim. "Well, on that lovely note, I think I am going to attempt to head to bed properly. Will you be joining me?" Magnus wiggled his eyebrows.

Alec flushed, his eyes wide, taking a step back. "No, no, I uh, I told you, I don't— " 

"Alexander," Magnus interrupted, reaching out to press a finger against his lips. "I am only teasing. You are, of course, welcome to go to your room.” 

Alec relaxed and nodded, pulling himself back from the touch of the warlock. His heart was still pounding from the demon attack that had surprised them both - it wouldn’t be likely that he would sleep tonight. 

Magnus nodded and gave him a quick smile, leading his way back to his bedroom. His magic was still singing through his veins, practically swooning at the way that Alexander had stepped up to protect them both. He needed to stop or he was going to end up with the crush along with his magic. 

Thankfully, no further conversation was required as they both parted ways. It was easy to hear the sound of Alexander in the room next to him and after the events of the evening, Magnus knew that he could count on the Nephilim to keep him safe. He sank into the comforting, lofty, goose-down pillows, breathing deep and easily. Strange. He'd been unguarded and defenseless and Alec's first reaction had been to protect him, not to kill him. Even though killing him would have rendered his deal null and void and he could have gone home. 

He'd have to ask about that. Tomorrow. At some point. Perhaps. 

~!~ 

Alec waited until the sounds of Magnus moving around in his room had stopped before he stepped into the doorway between their rooms and slid into a crouch against the doorframe. Magnus’ steady breathing was quiet in the room and he relaxed again, letting it lull him into a meditative state. 

He was still too wired to be able to sleep properly. Between confronting his mother, exposing the truth of her deal to his siblings, packing up and returning to Edom, coupled with the demons attacking tonight, Alec had too much on his mind to even begin to consider sleeping. 

Bringing his eyes to the figure on the bed, he smiled faintly and glanced at the room Magnus had set up for him. There were far worse situations he had prepared himself for than the one he currently found himself in, and it did seem that Magnus Bane perhaps…

That he might be someone Alec could learn to trust. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are we settling in for some fun domesticity? YOU BET WE ARE!!! 
> 
> Hold on to your butts, because the delayed chapters are about to start showing up, and there's at least 2 of them from what I can tell, and then all the fun plot stuff at the end!! 
> 
> Also, you can thank Andimc13 for this chapter - who reminded me in a comment on another fic that it had been ages since I'd updated!! 
> 
> (Also note, as a reminder to everyone, the entirety of this fic IS written, the updates got super slow because I had to add a whole bunch of bits in the middle that weren't originally there, oops.)

Using magic as his own personal alarm clock was, perhaps, something that he should have warned Alexander about, but Magnus let the soothing sound of classical music pull him out of slumber, piece by piece. Stretching on the bed with a quiet sound, Magnus turned to look over at the cracked door, only to blink in surprise at the sight of Alexander sitting in the doorframe, his head leaning back against the wall. 

Based on the tension carried in all those long limbs of his, he was still awake in some fashion, even though he didn’t look to be actively doing anything other than breathing deep. After a few seconds, Magnus realized what he was doing - Alec was meditating. His eyes sharpened and he studied the Nephilim who was half-asleep between each of their rooms. When had Alec last slept? 

Frowning, Magnus thought back over their conversations, what Alec had said, and the stamina runes he had caught sight of the last few days and sighed. The Nephilim needed sleep. _Real_ sleep. 

“Now,” he called, raising his voice just enough to startle Alec out of his meditation. “That cannot possibly be comfy.” 

Alec shrugged. “I’m used to it. It’s fine. Easiest way to keep you protected too.” 

“I doubt that they were going to make two attempts in the same night, Alexander,” Magnus chastised, studying him. “And you need to get sleep.” 

“I’m fine,” Alec repeated, even though he was feeling the ache of the extra stamina rune he had applied. He knew, if it came down to it, his reactions would be compromised if he had to get into a real fight, but he’d be able to sleep soon. Or at least meditate again so he could relax. “Think I caught a couple of hours in there.” 

Magnus grunted, unimpressed as he rolled out of bed. “A couple of hours is not sufficient in order to replenish yourself, Alexander. You’ll sleep properly tonight.” 

Alec didn’t need to say what they were both thinking - that he would sleep, but only if Magnus didn’t get attacked again in the evening. He shrugged. “I’ll sleep when it’s safe to sleep,” he offered up instead. “But I am going to go change and shower now that you’re awake.” 

“Speaking of changing,” Magnus called, watching Alec step into his room. “Don’t forget that I’m taking you shopping sometime in the next few days!” When silence greeted him, he grinned. “Don’t think for a single second you’re getting out of it!” he added, sitting on the edge of his bed again when he heard the bathroom door close. 

Thankfully, a shower managed to wake him up and Alec relaxed against the wall, some of the tension draining out of him. Catching several hours of a meditative sleep had been enough to rejuvenate him, and maybe he could bribe Magnus to get him a cup of coffee so he didn’t need to burn through another stamina rune just yet. 

Alec got dressed and after a quick peek into Magnus’ room, headed up to the throne room, settling into a corner with a book, his eyes on Magnus as he sprawled over the throne room chair in the center of the room, a book in his fingers. He smiled faintly and turned his attention back to his book. 

~!~

It was easy to see why Magnus believed he needed protection, especially as the day went on and Magnus held meetings with demons. 

Alec kept his head down and didn't meet the eyes of any of the demons who walked into the throne room for the remainder of the day. But Magnus' decisions, the orders of exploration, of finding Lilith and ascertaining what she wanted in this realm, the demons weren't pleased with it. It was clear in every pushback they gave Magnus, no matter his threats. 

It was better for them to think that he had been beaten down, that Magnus had taken any fight from him than for them to know what their arrangement was. By the time Magnus threw the crown off of his head and across the room in frustration, Alec understood why he had been desperate enough to make the deal he had, even if it involved trusting someone he didn’t know. 

"You all right?" Alec asked, looking up at the warlock. 

Magnus scoffed, rolling his head. "Of course I'm all right. I'm the Prince of Edom." 

"Prince of Edom or not, I know what a shit day looks like," Alec said, eyeing him. "And I know that a lot of those conversations didn't go the way you wanted them to." 

Magnus sighed, forcing himself up and out of the throne, cracking his neck. "Understatement," he muttered, walking past Alexander and towards his bedroom. He wasn't surprised when the Nephilim followed, but Magnus walked straight into his bathroom, waving his hands to have a steaming bath ready. 

"Avert your virgin eyes, shadowhunter," he called, stripping off his clothing with a wave of his hand before crawling into the bath with a low groan. 

Alec snorted and picked up Magnus' clothes, shaking them out carefully before hanging them on one of the racks behind the door. 

"What the hell are you doing?" Magnus grumbled, eyeing him from the edge of the tub. 

"You strike me as someone who cares about wrinkles," Alec said, smoothing out the jacket. 

"Stop being so nice," Magnus grumbled. "I might think you don't actually hate it here." 

Alec snorted and glared at Magnus, meeting grinning golden eyes before he rolled his own. "I think there are worse places and far worse situations I could have ended up in. Plus, hanging up some clothes is nothing in comparison to the accommodations you’ve made for me. " 

Magnus hummed and sank back into the water. "Yes, that is certainly true. There are many, many worse places you could have ended up in. That doesn't explain to me, shadowhunter, what you are doing _ in my bathroom, _ " Magnus purred, lazily tilting his head to the side and giving Alec a long, heavy look that was almost…  _ accusatory.  _

"You're avoiding telling me why it's a bad day," Alec said with a shrug, sitting down on the little stool in the corner of the bathroom, pointedly avoiding looking at the sight of Magnus in the bathtub. "I figure if we're going to work together, you could use a confidant just as much as you could use company." 

Magnus scoffed. "I've known you for less than a day, Alexander." 

"And yet," Alec said, looking around. "Here I am, in your bathroom, sitting here while you are relatively defenseless and I am armed to the teeth." 

Magnus grated his teeth together, because damn the shadowhunter for being right about that. His magic was barely alert, lazy in the company of them both. Almost like it knew that Alec would protect him if it was necessary. 

"We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Alec said, leaning back against the wall. "Hell, I don't even have to stay if you don't want me to." 

"I want to know why you're in my bathroom," Magnus grumbled, and dunked himself under the water, rinsing out his hair. 

Alec waited for Magnus to resurface from the water, determinedly looking away from the droplets he could see trailing down Magnus' neck. He wasn't looking. He wasn't, and he didn't, he didn't want… that. "I told you that already." 

Magnus rolled his eyes. "Yes, you mentioned wanting my inner secrets." 

Alec sighed and stared at the ceiling, his skin crawling uncomfortably, the reminder that there was a bed behind a door he couldn’t trust to remain shut in the other room. "Fine. I don't want to be alone again just yet." 

Magnus hummed, the unguarded moment making him pause before shooting back another comment. It likely was terrifying for a Nephilim to be in a realm of Hell all alone, expected to sleep safe. 

"You aren't going to sleep tonight either, are you?" Magnus asked, looking at him with a sigh. 

Alec shook his head, his arms tense as he folded them across his chest. "That's what the stamina rune is for. I'll be fine." 

"There are much better uses for that rune, I assure you," Magnus said, winking at Alec when the shadowhunter glared at him. He turned to look at the ceiling and debated the interesting problem the shadowhunter had reminded him of. There truly was no way for him to feel safe around here. "We're going to have to figure out a way for you to be able to sleep." 

Alec shrugged. "I'll be fine." 

"Yes, but I actually want you to be of use to me if it is required," Magnus grumbled, tapping his fingers on the side of the tub, debating it. "What if I allowed you to sleep during the day? I could cast an illusion in the throne room." 

Alec tilted his head. "I wouldn't be able to protect you, then." 

"I need protection when my guard is down, Alexander, not when I am looking directly at the demons coming for me," Magnus drawled, opening an eye to look at the shadowhunter. Alec was blushing and stubbornly not looking at him. He smiled and lathered shampoo into his hair. 

"That… might be an acceptable compromise," Alec allowed. "We can test how it'll work tomorrow. I'll keep watch tonight." 

Magnus glared at him out of the corner of his eye. "I don't need you to keep watch, I'm safe in my castle." 

Alec rolled his eyes. "And that's why you decided to get yourself a Nephilim bodyguard. Who was, by the way, the one who noticed that you had unexpected visitors last night.” 

Damn the cheeky Nephilim for being right. Magnus blew out a hard breath and glared at the ceiling again. "You're better at that than you think, you know." 

"What?" Alec asked, looking over at him. 

"Reading people— reading  _ me _ ," Magnus said with a wave. "Most don't notice what you do." 

"Liaison. To Seelies," Alec repeated, his voice firm. "Do you know how good I had to get at reading the arch of an eyebrow?" 

Magnus burst into laughter, water splashing in the tub as he grinned, picturing Alec studiously combing through eyebrow references. "I do not know, but have interacted with enough of them myself, I can only imagine." 

Alec couldn't help the small smile of satisfaction as he watched some of the tension bleed out of Magnus' shoulders. Then the warlock decided to stand up in the bath and Alec scrambled upright, turning his back so he wouldn't see anything. No matter how much he wanted to see,  _ wanted _ to look. 

"You know," Magnus said, his voice quiet as he watched the flush crawl up Alexander's neck, visible from behind. "No matter what the Nephilim have told you, Alexander. It's not wrong." 

Alec clenched his hands into fists and took a deep breath. "I don't know what you're talking about," he growled, striding out of the bathroom. 

Magnus kept his eye on Alec, and if he wasn't mistaken, those jeans were much tighter on Alec than they had been a few minutes previous. "Sure you don't," he called, grabbing his robe and wrapping it around himself, summoning a towel for his hair, following Alec out into the bedroom, where the shadowhunter had practically shoved himself into a corner. 

Magnus rolled his eyes and took pity on him, summoning a comfy chair for him to sink into. "There, sit there, or I'm going to think you're giving yourself some sort of self-imposed torture for those  _ impure  _ thoughts of yours." 

"I don't know what you're talking about," Alec growled, glaring at Magnus. 

"Sure you don't, darling," Magnus said, eyeing him again. "But at least sit in the comfortable chair. I'm not into self-flagellation. Unless  _ you _ are, of course, and then we can talk." 

Alec huffed out a sigh and looked at the ceiling. "Angels above, you might be worse than Izzy." 

Magnus grinned delightedly. "Oh, does your dear sister tease you like that too? I knew I liked her." 

Alec bit down on his lip. "I think you two would get along quite well. I'm supposed to give her your phone number." 

Magnus waved a hand and nodded. "Of course, of course. I'm sure she wants to continue to threaten me. She definitely has that _ lethal beauty  _ vibe going for her." 

Alec's eyes narrowed on Magnus. "She's off-limits," he growled. 

"Oh don't be so protective older brother," Magnus drawled, looking at him. "Besides, I already have my eye on someone else. I think it's going to be a while before he gets a clue though." 

Alec ignored the way that stung, how Magnus had moved on from him so quickly, but then again, he had rejected the warlock repeatedly and loudly. "Good. I want her to stay out of trouble." 

Magnus gasped, turning to Alec with wide eyes. "Alexander, are you saying that I'm  _ trouble _ ?" 

"I'm saying that if you look up trouble, there's a picture of your face next to the definition," Alec muttered, glaring at the warlock. 

Magnus grinned at Alec. "There's that sense of humor I'm growing to love. I have no doubt that you are right, darling, but that doesn't mean I can't keep teasing you." 

Alec rolled his eyes and settled back into the chair, crossing his arms over his chest. His fingers itched for a book, something to distract his racing mind from everything that had happened today. He needed the distraction, desperately. 

"Do you need something?" Magnus asked, lounging on his bed. 

"One of my books," Alec said, glancing at the door on the other side of the room. "I, it'll help me-" he blinked when one of them was suddenly in his hand. He smiled at it and relaxed, stroking his fingers over the cover of it. 

"Do you fondle all of your books like a lover?" Magnus asked, watching as Alec jolted and stared at him. 

Alec blushed and glared at Magnus. "I do not." 

Magnus chuckled and stretched out on his bed, summoning a book for himself. "You absolutely do, but if it makes you smile like that I am not going to take it away from you." 

Alec glared a little bit more before turning back to the book, opening it carefully, reading the inscription from Izzy on the inside of the cover before opening it to the first page. 

It was surprising how easy it was to relax with another person in the room and Magnus let himself doze, despite not having intended on going to sleep. The steady page-turning and breathing of Alexander in his room soothed the ruffled edges of his magic and Magnus was far from immune to it. 

~!~ 

Magnus woke, feeling rested—  _ properly _ rested— for the first time since he had killed his father. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling of his room and smiled, stretching out against silk sheets, his eyes going to the chair next to his bed. Alec was there, more than halfway through his book from the look of things, looking a little tired, but no less beautiful. The light purple circles beneath his eyes only emphasized the green flecks of his hazel irises.

"You are  _ unfair," _ Magnus informed him, rolling out of bed with a stretch all of the way to his toes. 

Alec blinked, looking up from his books. "I'm sorry?" 

"You," Magnus said with a wave at him. "You look the slightest bit tired, but other than that, you look perfectly normal." And  _ gorgeous _ , he wanted to add. 

Alec fought down a smile and raised an eyebrow at Magnus. "Most shadowhunters, myself included, patrol at night. I'm used to staying up all hours." 

Magnus headed for the bathroom, reminding himself that he had known that, he didn't need to act stupid, he was far from stupid. "We'll have to make sure we get you some proper rest this afternoon. And I'm assuming coffee?" 

"Yes, coffee would be great. I meant to ask you about that before you went to sleep, but, you know," Alec waved a hand towards the throne room, indicating the fact that Magnus had been busier than usual the last few days. 

Magnus laughed and shook his head. "We're going to run into a lot of that," he said, waving his hand. "There's a coffee pot in your room now. I'll have to set up a proper kitchen for you later, I know I’ve been summoning you food, but honestly," he grumbled, shaking his head at himself. 

Alec snorted. "Not used to human guests?" 

"Not used to guests who can't summon their own food," Magnus corrected, winking at him. "Until then, I’ll continue to summon you anything you like, from  _ anywhere _ you’d like. Just say the word.” Magnus stretched his arms above his head, shaking off the remaining sleep from his body. “All right, let me get ready and then we can head up." 

"What do you have planned for today?" Alec called, watching as Magnus headed into the bathroom. His runes were still singing from the reapplication last night, but thankfully there hadn’t been another attack. Magnus had been right about demons wanting to overthrow him, but he got the feeling it was about more than usurping the Prince of Hell. Wouldn't Asmodeus be pissed when he came back? So why the hell would these demons be risking it? 

"The usual," Magnus said, rolling his shoulders. "Some study, some relaxing, some banter with you, and dealing with some bitchy demons." 

Alec snorted. "Sounds joyful." 

"It's no different than any other rhythm. When I lived topside, it was to study and experiment, deal with bitchy clients, meet with friends and drink," Magnus said, changing into an outfit for the day.

Alec looked up, staring in surprise at the door. "You lived topside?" 

"Of course I lived topside," Magnus scoffed. "You think I'd know where to find great coffee if I hadn't?" 

Alec sighed and stared at the ceiling again. One of these days he was going to stop putting his foot in his mouth around the warlock. "How long did you live topside?" 

Magnus poked his head out of the bathroom, narrowing his eyes. "Are you trying to figure out how old I am again?" 

"No," Alec snapped back. "I'm trying to talk to you. Remember? Company?" 

Magnus blinked in surprise and looked down at the makeup he had spread over the counter in the bathroom.  _ Right. _ He'd forgotten, that was one of the main reasons he had brought Alec here in the first place. 

"Decades," Magnus managed, shaking himself. "Actually, hold on, let me count," he paused and thought about it. "At least a century and a half, and don't you dare make old jokes." 

"Wouldn't dream of it," Alec drawled. "Obviously you lived up there more recently since you know about the different coffee shops..." 

"I've lived up there on and off for years, but my longest stint was a century and a half," Magnus said spiking his hair up with a quick flick of his fingers. "My father and I had a… let's call it a strong disagreement about the nature of deals we should be offering, so I left." 

Alec hummed and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes. "Is that like what you told me about when I made mine?" 

"Partially," Magnus allowed. "There are enough corrupt people in the world, and innocent blood doesn't taste as good as you might think." 

Alec peeked around the edge of the doorframe and gave Magnus a look. "You're not a vampire." 

Magnus snorted and tossed Alec a wink to show that he was teasing. "Damn right I'm not. This heart beats nice and strong. Being a vampire would be the worst. They can’t eat— and as someone who prides himself on knowing where the best food in the world is, that’s hardly something I want to lose!” He shivered at the thought. 

"So quit joking about the blood of innocents." Alec rolled his eyes and pulled his head back. “It might give a guy the wrong impression.”

"All right, all right," Magnus said. "The point being, that we get our power from a variety of places, but the realm's power is tied to souls. And the more corrupt people we bring in, the better. While corrupting an innocent brings in a  _ large _ boost of power, it's often not worth the time, energy and effort." 

Alec blinked and looked around the corner again, telling himself that it didn't matter that Magnus was shirtless now. It didn't matter, it  _ definitely _ didn't matter. He took a deep breath. "So you don't believe in corrupting innocents?" 

"I believe," Magnus said, his voice firm as he turned and met Alexander's eyes, "in letting people be people, and taking advantage of that fact for those who would do whatever they want for power and greed." 

"Huh," Alec said, pulling his head back again, pondering that. He leaned back against the wall. "That doesn't sound so bad." 

"Life is about balance, Alexander," Magnus said. "You cannot have the light of heaven without the darkness of hell. They cannot exist without each other." 

Alec didn't have a response for that, so he focused on listening to Magnus getting ready and told himself that it didn't matter what the warlock said, it was just words. He took a deep breath and he thought about it, regardless, because it did make sense. 

"You got quiet. I hope I didn't upset you?" Magnus said, taking a turn to poke his head out and study the Nephilim leaning oh-so-attractively against his wall. 

"No," Alec said. "You didn't upset me." 

Magnus raised both of his eyebrows and ducked back into the bathroom, finishing things with a snap of his fingers before he sauntered towards his vanity, picking up several necklaces before he draped them easily around his neck. "I did something to make you quiet, that's for certain." 

Alec hummed and followed Magnus as he led the way out of his room. "You reminded me that not everything I was taught is right, and you say these things so easily, like everyone should know them, or they are simple fact and… " 

"And they aren't?" Magnus offered. 

"Yeah," Alec said, settling against one of the walls behind the throne. "They aren't." 

"The problem with living in a warrior society, or even a hellish one here in Edom, you are only ever told half of the story," Magnus said with a shrug. "Not like either side has ever bothered to talk to the other about the misconceptions." 

"Until now," Alec said, glancing at Magnus. 

Magnus chuckled, flopping into his throne with a groan. "Yes, until now, Alexander. We're an odd pair, for certain." 

Alec hummed and picked one of the books off the shelf and opened it, settling into a chair beside Magnus. "Did you mean what you said last night about letting me rest in here?" 

Magnus opened one eye and looked over at the shadowhunter. He could see the tiredness seeping into him now. Alexander hadn’t been able to say when he had last slept, and he was likely running on nothing more than willpower. Which meant that either Alec would need coffee or another stamina rune. Or both. "Of course," he said. 

"Then I think I'm going to take you up on that. How's it going to work?" 

Magnus waved and gestured to the now-golden line on the floor and the daybed residing in the room just beyond that. "Anything in the gold square no one can see." 

Alec narrowed his eyes at Magnus. 

Magnus huffed and glared back at him. "What? You don't like the shade of the sheets?" 

"No," Alec grumbled, looking at the bed. "I don't care about those. But I wouldn't put it past you to lie to me and have all of the demons see the sleeping shadowhunter on the bed." 

Magnus blinked in surprise before he burst out laughing, leaning back against the throne. "I have no idea how you know me so well already, but while I might do that in a different situation, among friends, I would not, not here." 

Alec rolled his eyes and stepped beyond the golden line, removing his weapons before sinking into the bed with a small noise, pressing his face into one of the pillows. He took a slow deep breath, his limbs already starting to relax. "You're sure you'll be alright?" 

Magnus glanced over to the shadowhunter already curling up on the navy blue sheets and told himself that that was not a sight he was going to allow himself to get used to. Especially when he watched Alec roll his shoulders and the glamour on his wings fade, both wings flexing before resting back against the bed, spread out, some of the feathers clearly ruffled. It was a reminder that Alec was only going to be here for as long as he needed to be, not a day or a minute longer. 

"I'll be fine," Magnus promised. "You get some rest. You've earned it," he said, keeping his voice soft. It wasn't long before gentle snores started to echo in the room and Magnus couldn't help smiling, casting a silencing charm as well. 

Alec looked years younger while he slept, all of the tension leaving his features. Magnus hummed and summoned Alec's phone to his hand, flipping it open and opening a text to his sister, sending her his phone number before banishing Alec's phone back to his pocket. In a matter of seconds, he got the expected text from her. 

Isabelle:  _ I want proof my brother is alive.  _

Magnus rolled his eyes at the demand and shot her a text back, immediately. 

Magnus: _ You saw his contract. I'm not going to harm him. He's sleeping now. I'm going to let him sleep, it's been a while since he last slept properly.  _

Isabelle:  _ Take a picture, now.  _

Magnus sighed and turned his phone, taking a picture of Alec and sending it to her. 

Magnus:  **ATTACHMENT**

Magnus:  _ Also, someone should have warned me he snored. At least it isn't loud.  _

It was a long time before Isabelle responded, but Magnus figured that he had won her over with the knowledge of Alec's snoring, because her next text was an emoji and he smiled faintly. 

Isabelle:  _ You don't let him get hurt there.  _

Magnus:  _ I told you. I need him to protect me. He'll be fine.  _

Isabelle:  _ Does he know?  _

Magnus frowned at his phone and considered his next response, looking out the window. Isabelle could be referencing any number of things, she truly could, and in this case, it was likely best to play dumb. 

Magnus:  _ Does he know....?  _

Isabelle:  _ That you need him to protect you due to the change of power that happened in Edom? _

Magnus sucked in a hard breath and stared at the ceiling, cursing. Apparently hell gossip did make it up to the Nephilim, it just took longer than he thought. He frowned and looked back at Alec on the bed. 

Magnus:  _ No.  _

Magnus paused, thinking about it, before sending another text. 

Magnus:  _ And you will not tell him.  _

Isabelle:  _ Give me a damn good reason why.  _

Magnus frowned at his phone and waved a silencing spell around himself before he hit the call button, bringing his phone to his ear, letting a few rings go before he heard it pick up. 

"I wasn't about to have this conversation via text, my dear," Magnus drawled, closing his eyes. "So do tell me where you learned this fascinating gossip?" 

"Seelie Court," Isabelle said. "You have many friends there." 

"I'd better," Magnus muttered. After the gift he had brought the Unseelie King and the Seelie Queen, he had earned their friendship a hundred times over. 

"That doesn't tell me why you need my brother," Isabelle snapped. "Tell me the truth or I'll find some way to get him back." 

Magnus exhaled hard. "I couldn't destroy the contract your mother created." 

Isabelle sucked in a hard breath. "What?" 

"I renegotiated the contract. Someone still needed to come to Edom, to live with me," Magnus explained. "The broad terms of the contract had to be met. And they have been." 

"He could have killed you," Isabelle said. 

Magnus rolled his eyes. "It would have simply passed to the next demon after me who dared to take the crown and your deal would have come due. I don't think that's a scenario any of us wanted, is it?" 

Isabelle chewed on her lip. "He's okay, right?" 

Magnus blew out a hard breath and looked at him. "I think he's going to struggle, especially at first. But I’m not going to keep him from you, Isabelle. Or his brother. He is welcome to visit you, and I am building a portal for him to visit when he wants, but it is complicated magic and I have been exhausted lately." 

"Okay," Izzy said, shaking her hair behind her. "And you'll keep him safe?" 

"I will do my best," Magnus promised. "I told you. I need him." 

Isabelle sighed and hung her head. "Be, be gentle with him, all right? He's always been the good soldier, he's always been the one who did everything by the rules. He's...he's thrown a lot away, for me." 

Magnus smiled and leaned back against his throne. "He is lucky that he had someone in his life that he feels that strongly for." 

"It feels like my fault," Izzy said, biting down on her lip. "I mean, I know it's Mom's fault, she made the deal, but— " 

"It is no one's fault but your mother's," Magnus interrupted. "Trust me when I say that even though there may have supposedly been no warlocks that would help her — there are those out there that would not turn down helping a sick child, no matter their parents." 

Izzy sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that. Alec demanded to know why, and she wouldn't tell us." 

Magnus opened his mouth to reveal the secret to her and snapped his jaw shut. "I've known Maryse Lightwood for a very long time. I know her reasons, and I know the why. You need to have her tell you." 

Isabelle sighed. "This sucks, you know?" 

"Trust me, I am well-aware. I want nothing more than to be living topside," Magnus said on a harsh exhale. "But you and I both know there are reasons for everything." 

"Yeah," Izzy agreed. She sighed, before she forced a smile to her face. "Better topic. Did I or did I not catch you staring at my brother with a lovesick expression on your face?" 

Magnus sputtered, nearly dropping the ancient Sumarian tome he was flipping through. "Excuse me?" 

Izzy smirked. "I thought so." 

Magnus covered his face with his hands. "I hate you already." 

“You _ looooove _ me,” Izzy drawled.

"Don't hate your future sister-in-law," Magnus muttered to himself. 

Izzy laughed. "So you  _ do _ like him!" 

Magnus looked at the sleeping figure on the bed and hummed thoughtfully. "I think I could. In another world, I do think that… I could have liked him a very great deal." 

"Well, you're in a world where you're stuck together for the foreseeable future," Izzy said. "It wouldn't be so horrible for you to end up liking each other." 

"Other than your brother being violently opposed to liking men, I would agree with your assessment," Magnus drawled with a roll of his eyes. 

"Well," Izzy said with a shrug. "I know he likes men. He's been checking out guys since he was a teenager. He's not as subtle about it as he thinks he is." 

Magnus choked on the wine he had summoned to sip. "I don't think that's something you're supposed to tell me." 

"I'm just saying," Izzy said. "I'd feel better if he did, you know. Actually like spending time with you." 

Magnus blew out a hard breath. "You'll have to talk to him about that. But for now, my dear, I must depart. I'll make sure he gets in touch with you when he wakes up." 

"Yeah," Izzy said. "Let him sleep, I've got some digging to do. Oh, and Magnus?" 

Magnus sat up, listening. "Yes?" 

"He likes you. I can tell. Be careful with him, okay?" 

Magnus blinked in surprise at the phone as he pulled it away from his ear, staring at it. Had he heard that right? He looked back over to the daybed and where Alec was now curled up and around one of the pillows, his snores lightly muffled by the fabric. His heart turned over in a truly embarrassing way and he shook his head hard, forcing himself to focus on the book in front of him. 

  
  



	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter count has officially been updated!! (Hopefully, it stays at 16 and doesn't bleed into 17 like it's threatening to do...) 
> 
> Also, for the delay, HAVE AN EXTRA LONG CHAPTER!!! (Seriously, it's double the length of some of the others, but I didn't feel like finding a spot to split it.) 
> 
> Time for the boys to go shopping! 
> 
> And have a cameo!!

Alec slept most of the day away and by the time he blinked himself awake, several hours later, while Magnus was in the middle of a heated debate, he hoped that he hadn't turned Alec off any kind of food while setting the demon on fire. 

Alec yawned and pushed himself out of the bed, scratching idly at his stomach. "Sounded like he deserved that." 

Magnus blinked at him. "I, yes, he did. I can only allow insubordination to go so far, you know." 

Alec nodded. "Makes sense. How long did I sleep for?" 

Magnus hummed. "About nine hours, by my count. I still have more meetings to finish if you'd like to visit your siblings?" 

Alec shook his head, pushing his fingers through his hair. "I'm going to go shower and I'll come back up here. Don't want you to waste energy portalling me topside whenever the fancy strikes me." 

Magnus watched Alec shuffle away from him, staring after him in shock. He shook himself out of it only when he heard the sound of more demons walking up the staircase. Thankfully none of them paused and soon he had three standing in front of him, ready to give their report. 

He waved his fingers, gesturing to them. "All right, out with it, let's go." 

~!~ 

Magnus rubbed his temples and leaned against the window, glancing out at the barren landscape. Out there was Lilith, slowly amassing some kind of plot against him, and he'd yet to be able to piece together exactly what the hell her plan was, making it all the more infuriating. He took a deep breath and let magic crackle along his fingers, soothing the pain of the headache. 

"Are you all right?" 

Magnus blinked and stared at Alexander's bare chest for a long, _blatant_ moment before he dragged his eyes up to meet amused hazel ones. "All right, I'm back. I'm sorry, what did you ask?" 

Alec snorted and pushed a towel through his hair. "I asked if you were all right. You looked like you were in pain." 

Magnus waved towards his head. "Tension headaches. Nothing new. Unfortunately, until Lilith, the source of all pain in the ass of my life leaves and never comes back, they are something that I have to continue to deal with." 

Alec hummed and walked towards him. "How long until your next meeting?" 

Magnus thought about it and glanced down at his watch, taking a deep breath. "At least an hour." 

"Good," Alec said, stepping up behind Magnus. "Don't hurt me," he muttered, reaching out to press his fingers behind Magnus' ears, rubbing with gentle pressure. 

Magnus' eyes fluttered shut at the gentle touch and he sucked in a slow breath. He was painfully,  _ painfully _ aware of the shadowhunter standing behind him without a shirt on. "What are you doing?" 

"Acupuncture technique for removing tension headaches," Alec murmured quietly. "Izzy gets them, so I looked up a few different ways to help relieve them. Pain meds weren't working, but this always did. Her hair is thick and heavy, which didn’t help, either." 

Alec's long fingers slid over his scalp and Magnus fought down the urge to groan, a low noise escaping his throat. "Feels good," he whispered. Then Alec dragged his thumb down the base of his skull, to his neck, making him gasp and arch, the pressure making him go damn near boneless. 

"Woah, woah," Alec dropped one of his hands, wrapping it around Magnus' waist. "You okay? I didn't mean to hurt you." 

"Didn't," Magnus slurred, tilting his head back into Alec's hand. "Felt so good. Haven't, haven't had something like that in so long." 

Alec huffed and steadied Magnus so the warlock was leaning back against him and lifted his hand again, repeating the touch, this time ready when the warlock almost collapsed against him. "Hey, hey, I got you," he promised, wrapping one arm around Magnus' waist. 

"Do you know," Magnus muttered, opening his eyes to tilt his head back and stare at Alexander. "You are quite simply ridiculous?" 

Alec blinked and stared down at the warlock, raising an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?" 

"You're standing here massaging me. Why?" Magnus muttered, shivering, his mouth falling open as Alec's fingers sank into his hair again, making him shudder. "I cannot figure it out." 

"Well," Alec said with a shrug. "Seeing you in pain means that you're at less than your best. And I know how to help with these." 

Magnus huffed, leaning back into Alec's hands. "People like you don't exist, Alexander. I've learned that." 

Alec snorted and rolled his eyes. "Trust me, there are plenty of sarcastic assholes in the world. I'd know." 

Magnus opened his mouth to defend how gentle and kind Alec was, how  _ good _ he was, when he realized how that would sound, so he shrugged and took a deep breath. "I suppose so. But even then, you are a king among men." 

"Thanks," Alec muttered. "I think." 

"It was a compliment," Magnus confirmed, letting his eyes fall shut again. His tension headache was gone, and Alec's fingers had done an even better job than his magic had of erasing the pain. "I ought to make a joke about you and your magic fingers, but I feel so damn good I can't bring myself to do it." 

Alec laughed, his fingers pausing from where they were half sunk into Magnus' hair. "Save it for later, I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities for it." 

Magnus nodded. "That's fair, and you're completely right, of course." Alec only hummed and kept working on him, so Magnus didn't see the need to add anything further. Even though he wanted to. 

Thankfully, his last meeting of the day was an uneventful one. 

~!~ 

Two days later, after they had settled into what might resemble a tentative rhythm, Alec raised an eyebrow when Magnus turned to him, looking absolutely exhausted at the end of his day. "You need something?" 

"How are you feeling?" Magnus asked, tilting his head as he stared at the nephilim. 

"Pretty sure you had a far worse day than I did," Alec said, gesturing to the demons that had left with a very loud grumble. 

Magnus shrugged and waved them off. "I have plans for us tomorrow. We're going to go shopping and I'm going to get started on that portal for you. I think I know how to anchor it, but I'm going to need to pick some things up from a friend." 

Alec raised his eyebrows. "I don't need to go shopping." 

"You absolutely do need to go shopping," Magnus corrected. "As much as you rock the black on black on black look, and believe me darling, you do, you need more pairs of things that you own if nothing else. I don't exactly have washing machines down here." 

Reluctantly, Alec nodded, conceding that point. "All right. We can go shopping. But I don't want to go on a...a shopping spree." 

Magnus chuckled. "I have a feeling you would find a great deal many creative ways to stab me if I took you on one of those. But we can pick up some personal things for you. We can go shopping without going only clothes shopping, Alexander." 

Alec frowned at him. "What do you mean?" 

"I'll show you," Magnus said with a firm nod. "But tonight? I am relaxing, and I am in desperate need of food, good company, and conversation that revolves around something other than demons. Care to oblige me?" 

Alec gestured to the doorway and followed Magnus back to his room. He kicked off his shoes as he watched Magnus stride into his room, music immediately sounding in the room. He watched a privacy ward settle around the walls and smiled faintly before turning to Magnus as he settled into the chair he'd spent the night in. 

"All right, first thing is first, Alexander. What would you like for dinner?" Magnus asked, clapping his hands together. "I can summon just about anything, and if you are craving something in specific, I am sure I can find a way to oblige you." 

Alec snorted and rolled his eyes. "You're the one who wants good food after a long day. Why don't you summon something that you want? I'll make due, it can't be worse than Izzy's cooking." 

Magnus huffed and put his hands on his hips. "Alexander, tell me what you want for dinner. I have to pick every night and after my day today I am quite simply tired of making decisions." 

"All right," Alec agreed, thinking for a moment. "I haven't had good Indian food in a long time. Could we have that?" 

Magnus lit up, his eyes bright. "That is a fantastic idea, and I can absolutely do that for us! Do you have anything in particular that you want?" 

Alec listed off a few different dishes, and watched Magnus' grin get wider, before, with a loud clap of Magnus' hands, there was a table between the both of them, filled with enough food to make his mouth water. He stood up and his eyes traced over the dishes and he inhaled, deep and slow, smiling as he surveyed all of the food that Magnus had summoned for them. "You didn't need to summon this much food, Magnus." 

"I've been remiss in making sure you have something more than snack food," Magnus said, waving a hand at Alec. "Don't correct me, I know I'm right. It's one more thing on my list of things, tomorrow, to find you a fridge of sorts so that way you can have other things to eat." 

Alec blinked and sat down at the table across from Magnus, glad when the warlock fell into the seat across from him. A wine glass immediately shimmered into Magnus' hand and he smiled tentatively back. "Could I have water?" 

Magnus sighed dramatically, but waved his hand, a couple of bottles appearing next to Alec's hand. "Let's dig in, and we can find something to talk about, I'm sure. You could tell me about your siblings, or your books, or anything that doesn't involve your deal or Hell." 

"That does leave quite a lot," Alec teased, smiling faintly as he started to dig into the food. He groaned, because it was fresher than he could ever remember Indian food being and now that he'd started eating, he couldn't hold himself back from devouring as much as was available as fast as he could. 

Magnus settled back in his seat, drinking more of his wine, smiling as Alec demolished his way through several plates. He suspected that the shadowhunter hadn't been able to eat or sleep for days, with all the stress of everything that had happened. "All right, come on now. Tell me something about yourself, or let's find something to talk about." 

"Tell me about living topside?" Alec offered, looking over at Magnus. "Any time period you want?" 

Magnus laughed and lifted his glass to his lips, sipping at it slowly. "That does leave me quite a lot to choose from, let's see." He tapped his jaw a few times, considering and lit up with a laugh. "How about I tell you about the time I saved one of my best friends when she did most definitely not need saving?" 

Alec blinked in surprise before he smiled and nodded. "That sounds great, tell me about it." He watched Magnus launch into the story eagerly, his hands waving as he described finding Catarina burning at a stake, but very intentionally since she had cast a fireproof spell and had been planning to escape once the blaze had gotten big enough. 

It was easy to lose himself in watching Magnus tell the stories, launching from one to another, to another, and by the time he'd finished eating, the atmosphere between them had relaxed and Alec settled back in his chair with a smile. 

"That smile suits you, you know," Magnus said during a lull in his storytelling. He certainly hadn't expected to work his way through his greatest hits, but the more he'd talked, the more Alexander had relaxed, and that had been worth it. "Why don't you tell me a story, now?" 

Alec chuckled and drank some more of his water. "All right, I have a few that I can definitely share about Jace and Izzy and the different scrapes we've gotten into." 

"Why do I get the feeling that you've always been cleaning up their messes as a big brother?" Magnus asked, laughing as he stared at Alec. 

"Because you are correct," Alec said, winking at Magnus. "Now, picture this. I'm sixteen, we've barely been cleared to go out on missions when we're together and Jace gets this idea that we're going to take down a full Raum demon on our own." 

Magnus' eyes widened. "He what?" 

Alec laughed. "That is precisely how I reacted!" he started, before launching into the rest of the story that had landed them all in the infirmary for weeks. Of course, they had managed it, and no one at the Institute had been able to stop talking about it, but that didn't mean that they were in a hurry to go and do it again. 

By the time he finished the story, Alec watched Magnus yawn and stood up. "Uh, normally I'd offer to clear the table, but-" he watched it disappear in a shower of blue sparks. "Yeah, that. Are you going to go to bed, or...?" 

Magnus hummed and stretched. "I think so. Might do some reading just like you do. You planning to stay up again?" 

Alec raised his eyebrow at him. 

"Right," Magnus said, rolling his eyes. "All right. Early night for the both of us so we can take our jaunt topside tomorrow." 

"Shopping, right," Alec said with a groan, huffing as he sank down into his chair, picking up The Wizard of Oz again. "All right. You get some rest and I'll keep an ear out for anything." 

Magnus hummed and buried his face into the pillows. He probably should take a bath and settle in and relax for the evening, but after talking with Alec for several hours, he did just want to sleep and dream of the better day that they were going to have tomorrow. He couldn't be blamed for that, could he? 

Magnus' magic woke him up early the next morning, and he jolted upright, afraid that something had caused the disturbance when the smell of coffee permeated the room. He turned to Alec and the cup that he was holding in his hands and huffed. "Coffee," he whined, holding out his hands. 

"You'll have to tell me where you got this coffee from," Alec said, taking a sip with a pleased sigh. "I don't think I've ever had anything this good in my entire life." 

Magnus raised his eyebrows. "You must have had terrible coffee. That's nothing special, just a standard blend that I get." 

Alec nodded and took another sip of it. "Do you want me to get you a mug? You gave me a few spares." 

Magnus waved a hand and summoned some of it to his hands with a pleased hum. "Nope, I can take care of that myself," he said, saluting Alexander with the coffee. "Do you want to shower before we head out? I thought we could shop, you could visit your siblings while I pick up the stones I need for the portal and we go from there?" 

Alec nodded. "Yeah, I'll go grab a shower and get ready." He looked at Magnus and sighed. "We really have to go shopping?" 

"Yes, Alexander," Magnus said, eyeing him. "We really have to go shopping." 

Alec turned and headed back into his bedroom, heading for the duffle bag that was still sitting on the bed and pulled out what he needed before he made his way over to the bathroom. 

Magnus waited until he could hear that Alec was in the shower before he reached out with his power and barred visitors from the gates, locking down the castle from the outside. There was no need to let people waltz in the front door while he was away, and that would give the impression that he was up to something in the castle. 

The sound of the shower lasted an abysmally short amount of time and Magnus made another note that he would have to try to teach Alexander something of luxury in the next several months. Once the shadowhunter walked back into the room, Magnus studied him and stood up, changing his clothes with a flourish of his fingers. 

He summoned a portal and gestured for Alec to go ahead and step through, following after him. Once they were in the bright sunlight of topside, he sighed in relief and looked around. "All right, let's start with the obvious." 

Alec looked over him with a huff. "Clothes?" 

"Clothes!" Magnus said, pushing Alexander towards the nearest boutique. "I understand that you enjoy your black on black and I promise to respect that aesthetic as much as possible. I'm not trying to torture you." 

"I'll believe that when I see it from a Prince of Hell," Alec quipped, holding the door open for Magnus.

Magnus stared at Alec for a long moment before he burst out laughing, grinning bright and wide. "Alexander, don't tell me that you have a sense of humor I'll actually enjoy, I'll never get rid of you if that's the case!" 

"If having a bad sense of humor is all I need to have for you to break the deal, it's a wonder you make any deals at all," Alec said with a huff, looking around the store that they had walked into. There were a few things he recognized and a few he didn't. At least it didn't all seem to be... He glanced over at Magnus and took in the blue shirt that sparkled with every movement he made and the black pants that seemed to be painted onto him, shifting with every flex of his thighs. 

"I told you," Magnus said, gesturing Alec into the store. "I'm not here to torture you." He looked around and frowned at the assistant who had been making her way over. "Get me Oberon," he ordered. 

She frowned at him. "Sir, I assure you I am more than capable-" 

"I'm sure you are," Magnus said, his smile turning patronizing. "But nonetheless, I am going to insist on Oberon. He'll understand if you tell him Magnus Bane is here." 

She sighed and rolled her eyes, but stepped behind a curtain. 

Magnus glanced around the shop and turned to Alec with a faint smile. "Oberon is a warlock. One of the oldest in the city. He's an old friend, and he dabbles in fashion as part of his day to day to keep things interesting." 

Alec sighed and watched the man step out from behind a curtain with a shout of Magnus' name. "Right and this is supposed to make things easy?" 

"Don't worry," Magnus promised, reaching out to embrace Oberon as he stepped closer. He pulled back and grinned at the warlock. "Oberon, I do believe you're getting gray hair," he teased.

"Oh fuck off you bastard, not all of us stop aging in our late twenties," Oberon quipped, turning to the nephilim standing beside Magnus. He raised his eyebrows. "And who is this gloriously cool drink of water?" He gestured with his fingers. "Spin for me, let me see the full breadth of those shoulders." 

Alec sighed and spun around, slowly and then turned to face the warlock again. "Done?" 

"Hardly," Oberon said, studying him. "You have wings?" 

Alec jolted in surprise, staring at the other warlock. "Wh-what?" 

"I can see a glamour on you, though I can't see through it. Nephilim, coming shopping at a downworlder boutique? Not hard to add things up," Oberon said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'll ensure they make accommodations for you." 

Alec's mouth dropped open before he snapped it shut and nodded his head. Normally he had to modify his own clothes whenever he wanted to wear things with his wings. "That, that would be wonderful, thank you," he admitted. 

Oberon sighed and turned to Magnus. "Do I have to keep his... _aesthetic?"_

Magnus smiled faintly and nodded. "Yes, you need to keep it mostly black, but a few other darker colors wouldn't go amiss." 

"All right, go get yourselves settled, Magnus you know where the drinks are, I'll be back," Oberon said with an imperious wave of his hand. 

"Come on," Magnus said, leading the way to the rooms in the back of the shop. He stepped through a doorway and held it open for Alec. Once they were through, the glamour around the room dissolved and the space widened considerably. "We'll be over in changing room two. That one is designed for any creatures with wings, so it'll be perfect for you," he pointed. 

Alec blinked in surprise and followed Magnus' directions, stepping into a room that was large enough for even his wingspan, his breath catching. He fumbled with his stele and removed the glamour, stretching his wings easily. He exhaled hard and laughed, relief falling from him. "I didn't know places like this existed." 

Magnus smiled faintly. The simple, sheer joy on Alec's face was addicting. He and Oberon hadn't even offered him any clothing, but just the potential accommodation made him react like this... "Of course they do. I know the Nephilim don't prioritize creature comforts, but the downworld, in many ways, wants to ease our way in the world. Having shirts that won't restrict your wings is a very easy way to accomplish that." 

"Right," Alec said, swallowing hard. He glanced towards his wings and winced at the sight of the twisted feathers before he pulled his wings in again, tucking them behind the glamour. He looked at Magnus. "I'll pull them out again to try things on." 

Magnus nodded. He magicked a notebook into his hands and tapped a pencil against his jaw. "Which reminds me, we need to talk about things outside your standard gear. I'll obviously be picking up some collared shirts for you, and slacks, normal business wear, and attire. But I don't know what you want for your private time?" 

Alec blinked and frowned, shrugging. "T-shirts are fine." 

"Yes," Magnus agreed with a huff, his eyes dropping down to the notepad. "But what about when you want to go out with your siblings. Or to a bar, or something fancier? Like a club?" 

Alec wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "No need for that. I'll either wear what I have or not go." 

Magnus' eyes dropped to Alec's legs and he pictured them in skintight leather, the fabric clinging to every inch of them, and couldn't help but sigh. "All right, that's fair. Thank you for letting me know." He made a few quick notes. "What other things do you want? Obviously Edom isn't cold, so you hardly need sweaters and things like that." 

Alec shrugged. "Just standard stuff. Pants, shirts, socks." 

"You really are determined to make this difficult for me, aren't you?" Magnus stared at Alec and tilted his head, considering. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable, Alexander, but you can ask for things you want." 

"I need practical clothes that I can move around in, and that aren't about form rather than function. That's all I need," Alec said, hunching his shoulders defensively. "I know that's not exactly fashion-forward, but that'll let me keep you safe, and that's all that matters, right?" 

Magnus made a few more notes and nodded. "Shoes?" he asked, glancing down at Alec's combat boots. "I'm not suggesting more dress shoes, but do you want more of what you're wearing?" 

Alec sighed and nodded. "Yes, that would be great if we can make that happen." 

Magnus nodded. "Darling, we're warlocks, we can make anything happen. It's in the job description," he managed, humming as he made a few more notes. "Boxers or briefs?" 

Alec flushed and turned around to glare at Magnus. "What?" 

Magnus raised an eyebrow. "Do you want me to buy you thongs instead?" 

Alec narrowed his eyes and huffed. "The, the half and half kind," he muttered, his cheeks still heated. 

"Huh, you struck me as a boxers only man," Magnus said with another sound. "Very well though." He smiled down at the list. "All right, Oberon will return with some things for you to try on. Be brutally honest and feel free to use your wings and ensure they work with the clothes." 

"Magnus how much-" 

"Don't even ask," Magnus said, narrowing his eyes at him. "It's my treat," he continued. 

Alec swallowed hard and watched as Magnus disappeared out of the room. A minute later, Oberon was back, a large pile of clothing in his arms. Alec took a step back and glanced towards the door. 

"Don't worry," Oberon said, putting the clothing down, lifting a shirt up and against Alec's torso. "I'm harmless." 

"You're a warlock. Harmless isn't in your description," Alec shot back, huffing. He sighed and forced his shoulders to loosen. "I'm sorry," he said, pushing his fingers through his hair. "That was rude." 

Oberon raised his eyebrows. "You're not the first rude shadowhunter I've met and you won't be the last. Now, would you mind letting your wings out so I can see where your shirt adjustments need to be made." 

Alec nodded and dropped the glamour a moment later, stretching out his wings with much less of a wince. "Thank you, for being willing to see me, uh, us, on such short notice." 

"Magnus always makes it worth my while," Oberon said with a hum, picking up another shirt. "Here, try this one on." 

Alec tugged the shirt on and blinked in surprise when it slid into place despite his wings and looked over his shoulder at the shirt. "Is that magic?" 

Oberon chuckled. "You don't have to sound so surprised. This is a shop owned by a warlock after all." 

Alec swallowed and turned back to face the mirror. "I, yes. Of course. I just haven't..." he shook his head and looked at the shirt in the mirror. It was a simple dark green long-sleeved shirt and he sagged in relief. "This is excellent." 

Oberon nodded. "All right, we'll get you some more of those, and now that I know that's your size, I can grab some other things for you." 

Alec watched him turn to go. "Wait," he called, turning around, taking a step towards the warlock. He cleared his throat and held out his hand. "I, I didn't introduce myself." 

Oberon raised both his eyebrows, but shook the hand of the Nephilim. "Well, aren't you a surprise. Oberon Onyx, Mister...?" 

"Alec Lightwood," he managed, smiling. "It's a pleasure to work with you Mr. Onyx. Thank you, again." 

"Huh," Oberon said, looking at him with a faint smile. "Not just a pretty face then," he added with a nod, turning away and heading towards the door. 

Alec relaxed and sat down in one of the chairs in front of the mirror, reaching down to wrap his hand around the necklace he was wearing, even though he didn't need to wear it here. He let out a slow breath and rubbed his face. He hated shopping, but it looked like they were doing their best to make it easier on him. 

"All right, Alexander," Magnus said, stepping into the room. "I gave Oberon our list and he is going through and spelling a few other items for you, and now we're going to try on the rest of what he offered." He gestured to the screen. "Step behind there and let me see your outfits." 

Alec huffed in annoyance and glared at him. "Planning to tell me what I can and can't buy?" he shot out. 

Magnus snorted and rolled his eyes. "No, I'm planning to see if the things you're trying on actually fit you, since you want function over form, remember?" He waited and caught the shame flickering over Alec's face before he softened. "Are you always this hostile when you go shopping?" 

"I don't shop," Alec said, pushing his fingers through his hair. "Izzy does, and so does Jace. I just buy what I need." 

Magnus nodded. That explained why Alec had so little clothing. He never wanted to shop and spend on himself. He tapped on his jaw and offered Alexander a pair of black jeans and another t-shirt. "I promise that we're not going to put you in anything you wouldn't normally wear, and even if you don't like it, you don't have to try it on." 

Alec took a deep breath and took the clothes. "All right." 

Magnus gave him a faint smile and ushered him behind the screen. 

By the time Magnus and Oberon declared him finished, Alec was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to sleep for several hours. But while Oberon was tallying the total of the dozen or more large bags around them, Alec wilted when Magnus told them they had several more shops to visit. 

"Magnus," Oberon called. "Take some pity on the boy. He's exhausted." 

Magnus glanced up at Alec and huffed. "We have other things we need to get him. I refuse for him to not be comfortable in-" 

"Please?" Alec asked. "Can, can I just see my siblings?" 

Magnus looked to Alec and stopped, smiling at Alec. "Of course. We'll grab lunch and coffee and then go see them." 

"Just summon whatever you would get for yourself in his colors," Oberon said, drawing Magnus' attention. "That'll save you the worry, time and energy." 

Magnus opened his mouth to protest, but blinked again, tilting his head to the side. "That's actually a really great idea." 

Alec shook his head and watched as Magnus used a black credit card, giving him a look when he tried to see the amount charged. He huffed, but then the bags were gone. 

"They're in your room," Magnus said. He smiled. "Come on. What do you say to pizza and then some absolutely divine coffee?" 

Alec relaxed and nodded. Pizza he knew. He could do that. "That sounds great." He turned back to Oberon and offered him a smile. "Thank you for everything, Oberon." 

"You're quite welcome, Alec. Now, go enjoy your lunch, and let me know if you have any trouble with the clothing," he ordered, giving them a shooing motion, watching as they headed out. He shook his head. His friend was in very large trouble. Large trouble with a wingspan almost too big for his room. 

~!~ 

Alec sagged back in his chair, grinning at Magnus, even as he finished off his third slice of pizza. "You know that you don't have to buy me anything else, right?" 

"It's less that I want you to buy things, and you have to realize that I quite simply don't  _ have _ things that you're going to need, Alexander," Magnus countered. "A good example? Soap. Shampoo. Razors. I have all of that for myself, or I summon what I need. Better pillows, changes of sheets, you'll need things for your weapons, and I imagine work out equipment eventually." 

Alec blinked as Magnus started listing off things. "I, I guess you're right." 

Magnus smiled gently. "That doesn't include things I'm more than willing to get you that'll just make things...easier. Music. Books that you could buy. A computer, though I'm not quite sure how to make that work yet." 

"My phone is fine," Alec countered, holding it up. "And I don't need-" 

"Listen," Magnus interrupted. "I know that it's Edom. But you aren't there to suffer. You're working for me. That's different, and things are different. You don't have to deny yourself, because I have a vested interest in you not going crazy." 

Alec swallowed. Magnus was truly bending over backwards to make sure that he was comfortable. "I trust you," he said, blinking at the words a little as they escaped. 

Magnus blinked as well and sat back, staring at Alexander. "What?" 

"Yeah, I," Alec flushed and looked down at the table. "After everything, I mean, I obviously trust you. And if you think I need those things, that would be great." 

Magnus smiled and looked down at his drink, taking a long sip of it. "Thank you, Alexander." He couldn't remember the last time someone had trusted him. Truly trusted him, not just said it because they thought it was what he wanted to hear. "Are you ready to visit your siblings?" 

"Yeah, I let them know I'd be coming after lunch. Do you, uh. Do you know when you'll be finished?" Alec asked. 

Magnus glanced at his watch and hummed. "I'll need at least an hour, if not two. Is that enough time for you?" 

"That'll be great," Alec said, biting down on his lip. "Could uh, would it be all right for you to portal me closer to the Institute?" 

"Already planned on it, Alexander," Magnus said with a wave of his finger, standing up and stretching. With a wave of his hand, they both had fresh coffee and he grinned, inhaling the scent of it. "Coffee and pizza do not mix, but this will taste delicious in a matter of minutes." 

Alec snorted and rolled his eyes, following Magnus into the alley and through the portal. Once they had both stepped out, he turned back to Magnus. "Uh, text me, I guess, when you're ready?" 

"And so I shall, Alexander," Magnus promised him with a wink. "Have to get you back in time to actually sort through all of your clothing!" 

Alec groaned at the reminder and flipped Magnus off, listening to him laugh before he stepped into another portal. He turned back to the Institute, pulling out his phone to text Izzy. It took Izzy and Jace a matter of minutes before they were stepping into the alley, both of them hugging him tightly. 

"You look tired," Izzy said with a frown. "Are you all right? Are you getting sleep?" 

Alec snorted out a laugh and nodded. "We've been shopping all morning," he corrected. 

Jace laughed, leaning back against the stone of the alley. "No wonder you look so exhausted. You get put through your paces?" 

"I hate you," Alec growled, glaring at them. But he could see that they were both happy for him and relaxed. "But Izzy, I'm going to get you the name of that place. They, they design clothes for warlocks. So, they have spells they put on clothes for wings." 

Isabelle's eyes widened. "They do?" 

"Yeah," Alec said with a gesture to the shirt he was wearing. "It's spelled to work around and with my wings. I can take them out without having to alter the clothes at all." 

Jace let out a low whistle. "Someone got fucking spoiled. I've looked into that shit before. It isn't cheap. How much did you get?" 

"Enough that I am uncomfortable," Alec said with a shrug. "But I wanted to tell Izzy, since I know you hate altering your clothes." 

Izzy grinned at him. "Well, other than a new wardrobe, how have the first few days been? I see you're still wearing your favorite accessory?" She gestured to the necklace. 

Alec reached out and touched it, wrapping his hand around the ruby, feeling the familiar pulse of power from it. "It's charmed to protect me from Edom's air. Not exactly planning to take it off at any point." 

“It’s still, ah,” Izzy hummed and looked at it. “Ostentatious?” 

“I’ll take ostentatious over dead,” Alec deadpanned back at her. He looked between the both of them and frowned. “You’re both all right? Mom’s gone?” 

Jace rolled his eyes and gave Alec a look. “Yeah. Back in Idris. Aldertree got given the Institute.” 

Alec winced. “That was a less than ideal option.” 

“No shit,” Izzy said, leaning against the wall. “But we’re dealing with it. Not the end of the world and we all have breathing room.” She took a deep breath and met his eyes. “Do you want us to start looking into ways to get you back?” 

Alec exhaled hard and shook his head. “As much as it might seem crazy, no, I don’t.” He reached up and touched the necklace, his eyes closing at the reminder that Magnus had cared enough to make this within hours of meeting him. 

Jace huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “Why? Why the hell do you want to be trapped there?” 

“Alec, we could find a way, there are a number of warlocks-” 

“Stop,” Alec interrupted Izzy, holding up his hand. “Listen, I know that you want to help, and you want me home. But realistically, this is beyond a best-case scenario.” He blew out a hard breath. “Someone trying to capture me wouldn’t be building a permanent portal so I can visit, or spend an amount I don’t really want to think about on new clothes, or all of the other things he’s bought to just make stuff...easier.” 

Izzy raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow, glancing over at Jace, before back to Alec. “Well, that’s certainly interesting. Just how much has he bought for you?” 

  
  
Alec sighed, leaning back against the wall. “Enough that you might even begin to approve of my closet, Iz.” 

“Damn,” Izzy whistled. “Well, at least he’s treating you right.” 

“All right, well, what do you say to going on the patrol we’re both supposed to be on?” Jace asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “How long do you have?” 

Alec glanced down at the watch he was wearing (another of Oberon’s selections, but it was understated enough that he really, _really_ liked it) and hummed. “At least another hour, if not a bit longer,” he answered. 

Jace grinned, bright and wide. “Then let’s go!” 

Alec smiled faintly and followed Jace as he started hurrying down the street. It felt good to have the sun on his face, and hear his siblings bickering around him like usual. 

An hour later, when his phone rang, Alec was abruptly thrown back into the reality of his situation. He picked up his phone, the smiles falling off both his sibling's faces. Alec forced himself to smile at them as he answered. “All finished?” 

“Yes!” Magnus said cheerfully. “Where are you and your siblings hanging out?” 

A quick glance at a street sign and Alec nearly jumped at a portal forming a few feet away from him, with Magnus stepping through seconds later. He relaxed and offered Magnus a smile. “Time to head back?” 

Magnus nodded. “It is. You ready to go?” 

Alec turned back to Jace and Isabelle, giving them both quick hugs. “Remember I have my phone, so if you ever get too worried, you can call me. And I’ll see you soon.” He waited for both of them to nod before turning to Magnus. 

Magnus summoned another portal for them both and stepped through, glad when he felt Alexander step through almost immediately after him. The heavy air of Edom settled around them and he turned to look at Alec. “Everything all right?” 

Alec reached up and touched the necklace he was wearing, the physical reminder that Magnus did care, and wanted to protect him before smiling. “I’m not looking forward to sorting through all of those clothes, to be honest.” 

Magnus snapped his fingers and summoned a cup of coffee to his fingertips. “Well, since I subjected you to the pain of this shopping trip, it seems only fair that I assist in this. Come on, Alexander, let’s finish setting up your room. I promise you won’t have to lift a finger.” 

Alec snorted and lifted the cup of coffee to his lips gratefully. “I’ll believe that when I see it.” 

Magnus turned to wink at Alec, stepping into his room. “Oh ye of little faith, Alexander.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I now using Oberon in almost every fic I can whenever I need a character? PERHAPS. 
> 
> Do I regret this? Not in the slightest.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Criticisms welcome!
> 
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